Projectile Motion

Projectile HW #1: Check Schedule

We are about 2 days behind the schedule.
Vector Lab due yesterday!

Projectile Motion:
two
Introduction: Projectile motion refers to freefall motion in ______
horizontal
dimensions. The motion of the object will have a ______________
vertical
component and a _______________
component.
There is a constant acceleration due to gravity,
only. Here the g refers to:

g, points downwards

acceleration g downward 9.80 m s 2

s

downward
s

x
There are two coordinates to describe projectile motion. The _____
horizontal motion and the
coordinate and component refer to _____________
y coordinate and component refer to _____________
vertical
_____
motion.
We need to define the same concepts used in Ch. 2 for our study of
two dimensional motion.

Position: An object must be given a location in space. A two

dimensional coordinate system is used:

+y = up
The objects location can be
described in relation to the
origin. The origin can be chosen
to be any place convenient.

v
x
+x = right, or any
other horizontal
direction

The position can be

represented by a vector
whose coordinates are (x,y).

x x, y

The coordinates (x,y) also represent the x and y

components of the vector position.

change
Displacement: The displacement of an object is the ____________
position
vector
of ____________
of an object. The displacement is a ____________!
The displacement is represented as:

x x xo

+y
Initial
position

xo xo , yo
+x
Final
position

initial position

x x, y final position

x x xo , y yo

x x, y

Average velocity: The average velocity of an object represents the

rate
changes
__________
at which position ____________.
The average velocity is the displacement of the object divided by the
elapsed
______________
time.

x x xo
v

t
t

To simplify the equations, we will always take the initial time to be

zero
__________
seconds.

ie. to 0

final time always equals the ________

elapsed time.
With this change, the ______

ie. t t to t 0 t

Instantaneous velocity: The instantaneous velocity of an object

velocity at one ____________
instant
represents the __________
of time. The
instantaneous velocity is represented by the letter v, and it is also a
vector.

vo vo x , vo y

initial velocity

Here, vox is the horizontal component of the initial velocity, and voy is
the vertical component of the initial velocity.

v vx , v y

final velocity

Here, vx is the horizontal component of the final velocity, and vy is the

vertical component of the final velocity.

Average acceleration: The average acceleration of an object

rate
changes
represents the __________
at which velocity ____________.
velocity of the
The average acceleration is the change of the ___________
elapsed
object divided by the ______________
time.

v v vo
a

t
t

Instantaneous acceleration: The instantaneous acceleration of an

acceleration at one ____________
instant
object represents the _____________
of time.
The instantaneous acceleration is represented by the letter a, and it is
also a vector.
instantaneous acceleration

a ax , a y

Here, ax is the horizontal component of the acceleration, and ay is the

vertical component of the acceleration.

Uniformly Accelerated Motion: This kind of motion has a constant

acceleration
________________.
Since the acceleration is constant, the
average
instantaneous
_____________
and the _________________
acceleration are equal.
Freefall: The acceleration of an object will be due to gravity only.
Gravity pulls with a constant acceleration towards the ground, or
vertically
_____________
downward. The acceleration can be written as a
vector as follows:

a a x , a y 0, g

As before, g just represents the numeric value of the acceleration of

gravity.

g 9.80 m s 2 32.2 ft s 2

The sign shows the direction points downwards!

2 dimensional motion difficulty: The motion of a projectile in two

dimensions is quite complex!

Purple Arrow = Acceleration.

Note the acceleration is constant!
Red Arrow = Velocity.
The velocity changes in amount
(magnitude) and direction!

As can be seen, the velocity

changes in both the magnitude
and direction. In general, this
is a very difficult situation to
deal with as a single problem!
The way to solve these problems is to resolve all the motion into
components.

All the motion completely separates into components. The motion in

the x direction is independent of the motion in the y direction.

By separating the motion

into x and y components,
the motions become
independent of one
another. The motion in
the x direction is not
affected by the motion in
the y direction.

Equations of Motion: The motion of a projectile in each dimension

can be represented by the uniform motion equations from Ch. 2. Apply
the equations to each coordinate axis separately. The general
equations for uniform motion from Ch. 2 are:

x vot at
1
2

v vo at
2

v vo 2ax
2

These are the same equations

as from the first unit!

Apply these equations to each coordinate axis. For the x direction,

zero
the acceleration is _________.
The equations from Ch. 2 can be
adapted to 2 dimensional motion by adding subscripts to the
variables that are vectors. The subscripts give the component name:

ax 0

The acceleration in the x direction, ax, is zero.

x vo x t

v x vox

x is the horizontal displacement.

vox is the initial velocity in the x direction.
vx is the horizontal component of the final
velocity.

Since the x component of the acceleration is zero, the x component of the

velocity is constant and distance is rate times time.

ay = g Substitute y for x
For the y direction, the acceleration is _________.
and get the equations of motion for the vertical part of the motion:

y vo y t gt
1
2

v y vo y gt
2

v y vo y 2 gy
y is the vertical displacement.
voy is the initial velocity in the y direction.
vy is the y component of the final velocity.

The motion in the x direction and the y direction are independent

of one another. The motion of a projectile is that of a constant
velocity in the x direction and a uniformly accelerated motion in
the y direction.

To solve projectile problems, just follow the basic guidelines given in

Ch. 2. Read the problem, draw a picture, write down what is given and
unknown, choose equations, and solve.
Example #1: A student stands at the edge of a cliff and throws a
stone horizontally over the edge with a speed of 18.0 m/s. The cliff is
50.0 m above a flat, horizontal beach, as shown below. a. How long
after being released does the stone strike the beach below the cliff?
b. How far from the base of the cliff does the stone land? c. With what
speed and angle of impact does the stone land?

A bigger picture is on the next slide

vox

a. Use the y direction to find the time to fall.

y = 50.0 m

voy = 0

y vo y t 12 gt 2

50.0 m 0 gt
1
2

solve for t:

2 50.0 m
t
g
t 3.19 s

b. Use the x direction to find the horizontal distance.

x vo x t 18.0 ms 3.194 s
x 57.5 m

c. Solve for each component of the final velocity just before impact.
For the x direction:

For the y direction:

v x vox 18.0 ms
2

v y vo y 2 gy

v y 0 2 g 50.0 m 31.3 ms
Note: The minus sign on vy is to show it points downwards!
The last step is to combine these into magnitude and direction. Draw
the components and use Pythagorean theorem and inverse tangent.

vx = +18.0 m/s
Use Pythagorean theorem:

vy = 31.3 m/s

v vx v y
2

18.0 31.3
m 2
s

m 2
s

v 36.1 ms
Use inverse tangent:

tan

vy
vx

m
31
.
3
1
s
60.1
tan
18.0 ms
below horizontal

Example #2: A ball is launched horizontally from a height h above the

ground. At the same moment, an identical ball is dropped from rest
from the same height. Which ball will hit the ground first?

Solution: The y direction

motion is the same.
Both have zero initial velocity in
the vertical direction.
Both fall the same distance
downwards in the same time.
The horizontal motion is
independent of all this.

Example #3: A hunter aims his banana cannon directly at a monkey

hanging on a branch. If the monkey lets go of the branch at the
moment the cannon is fired, will the banana bullet hit the monkey?
Solution: Both objects are accelerated
the same, so both will fall the same
amount due to gravity. No matter how
slow the banana is fired, or how far the
monkey falls, the two will always make
contact.
This can be shown a with a couple of
different scenarios. First what would
happen if gravity were turned off?

If gravity were off, the banana would travel directly to the monkey.

If gravity is restored, and the cannon points directly to the monkey,

the banana will still arrive to the monkey. Both fall the same distance
due to gravity as they move. Here is a high projectile speed example:

Here is a low projectile speed example:

Here is a high projectile speed aimed too high:

Projectile Motion Day 2 & 3

Projectile HW #2
See Schedule

Example #4: A student stands at the edge of a building and throws a

stone horizontally over the edge with a speed of 12.0 m/s. The stone
lands 2.41 seconds after it is thrown. a. How tall is the building?
b. How far from the base of the building does the ball land? c. With
what speed and angle of impact does the stone land?
Look for an equation with y and t and solve.

vox = 12.0 m/s

voy = 0 m/s

y vo y t gt
1
2

yo = h = ?

h 0 gt

y=0

1
2

y = 0 h

1
2

9.80 2.41 s
m

s2

28.5 m

b. Solve for the x direction displacement:

x vo x t 12.0 ms 2.41 s 28.9 m

c. Solve for each component of the final velocity just before impact.
For the x direction:

v x vox 12.0 ms

For the y direction:

v y vo y gt

vy

0 9.80 2.41 s
m

s2

23.6 ms

The last step is to combine these into magnitude and direction. Draw
the components and use Pythagorean theorem and inverse tangent.

vx = +12.0 m/s
Use Pythagorean theorem:

vy = 23.6 m/s

v vx v y
2

12.0 23.6
m 2
s

m 2
s

v 26.5 ms
Use inverse tangent:

tan

vy
vx

m
23
.
6
1
s
63.1
tan
12.0 ms
below horizontal

Example #5: Bubba stands at the edge of a building and throws an

opossum horizontally over the edge with a speed of 6.50 m/s. The
opossum lands 24.1 meters horizontally from the base of the building.
How tall is the building? How long for the opossum to land? With what
speed and angle of impact does the opossum land?

vox = 6.50 m/s

voy = 0 m/s
yo = h = ?
y=0
y = 0 h

x = 24.1 m

You do not have to solve the questions in the

order given. Start with the x direction and
solve for time.

x vo x t

x
t
vo x

24.1 m
t

3
.
71
s
6.50 ms

Now that the time is given, follow the last example to find height and
final velocity.

y vo y t gt
1
2

Look for an equation with y and t

and solve.

h 0 gt
1
2

1
2

9.80 3.71 s
m

s2

67.4 m

Solve for each component of the final velocity just before impact.

For the x direction:

v x vox 6.50 ms

For the y direction:

v y vo y gt

v y 0 9.80 m s 2 3.71 s 36.3 ms

The last step is to combine these into magnitude and direction. Draw
the components and use Pythagorean theorem and inverse tangent.

vx = +6.50 m/s
Use Pythagorean theorem:

vy = 36.3 m/s

v vx v y
2

6.50 36.3
m 2
s

m 2
s

v 36.9 ms
Use inverse tangent:

tan

vy
vx

m
36
.
3
1
s
79.9
tan
6.50 ms
below horizontal

Example #6: Bubba stands at the edge of a building and throws an

armadillo horizontally over the edge with a speed of 10.0 m/s. The
armadillo lands on the ground with a final velocity directed at 55.0
below the horizontal. What is the height of the building?

Think of what is given to solve..

vox = 10.0 m/s

v x vox 10.0 ms

voy = 0 m/s
yo = h = ?

tan

y=0
y = 0 h

vy
vx

v y v x tan

vy = ?

14
.
3
v y 10.0 tan 55.0
s
m
s

Next use the vy to solve for the height:

vy 0 2 g h

v y vo y 2 gy

vy

2g

14.3

m 2
s

2 9.80 m s 2

10.4 m

Projectiles launched at an angle to the horizontal: Yesterdays

notes involved projectiles launched horizontally. In this case the
projectiles had a horizontal component to the velocity but not a vertical
component. Today the initial velocity will have a magnitude, vo, and an
initial angle, o. The components to the initial velocity are as follows:
Angle above the horizontal..
v

vy

vx

The y component is
opposite, so use sine.

The x component is adjacent,

so use cosine.

vx
cos
v
vy
sin
v

so

v x v cos

so

v y v sin

Angle below the horizontal..

vx

The x component is adjacent,

so use cosine.

The y component is
opposite, so use sine.
This component also
points downwards, so
it is negative.

vy

vx
cos
v
vy
sin
v

so

v x v cos
so

v y v sin

Example #7: A ball is launched at 25.0 m/s at an initial angle of 36.9

above the horizontal. (a) What are the x and y components of the
initial velocity?

vo

vox

voy

vox vo cos o

vox 25.0 ms cos 36.9

vox 20.0 ms

voy vo sin o 25.0 ms sin 36.9 15.0 ms

(b) What is the greatest height reached by the ball?

voy = +15.0 m/s
vy,top = 0 m/s
y = ?

v y vo y 2 gy
y

vo y

2g

0 vo y 2 gy

15.0

m 2
s

2 9.80 m s 2

11.5 m

Note: This greatest height can be written as:

vo y

2g

vo sin 0

2g

vo sin 0

2g
2

At what angle should the object be thrown to reach the greatest height?

90

Reason: The largest value that sin() can have is +1, and that occurs only
when the angle is 90.

(c) How long did it take the ball to reach the highest point?
voy = +15.0 m/s

vy,top = 0 m/s

t=?

0 vo y gt

v y vo y gt
tup

vo y
g

15.0 ms

9.80
m

s2

1.53 s

(d) What was the total time the ball was in the air?
voy = +15.0 m/s

yo = 0 m

yf = 0 m

y = 0 m

y vo y t 12 gt 2
vo y t gt
1
2

0 vo y t gt
1
2

215.0 ms
t
9.80 m s 2

t=?

ttot
3.06 s

2vo y
g

Note: The total time in the air is just twice the time to the top. This is
the same result as in chapter 2. There is the same symmetry here as
in the purely vertical motion in Ch. 2: When an object starts and stops
at the same vertical height, the time to travel to the top is equal to the
time to fall back down.

tup t down 12 ttotal

(e) What is the final velocity of the ball?

Start with the x component:

v x vox vo cos o

For the y direction:

v y vo y gt

2voy
voy vo sin o
v y voy g
g
The last step is to combine these into magnitude and direction. Draw
the components and use Pythagorean theorem and inverse tangent.

vx = + vocoso
Use Pythagorean theorem:

vy = vosino

v vx v y
2

vo cos o

vo sin o

v vo
Use inverse tangent:

tan

vy
vx

vo sin o
tan
vo cos o
1

o
below horizontal

(f) What is the range of the ball?

The range of a projectile is the horizontal distance the particle travels.

x vo x t 20.0 ms 3.06 s 61.2 m

(g) Write a general formula for the range using only vo, o, and g.

2vo y

x vo x t

ttot

vox vo cos o

voy vo sin o

Start substituting values in:

x vo x t

vo x

2vo y
g

2
x vo cos o vo sin o
g
2

vo
x
2 sin o cos o
g

From your Trig class, you learned (or will learn of) an identity:

sin 2 o 2 sin o cos o

2

vo
x
2 sin o cos o
g
2

vo
x
sin 2 o
g
Note that 45 gives the greatest range.

Also from your Trig class, you learned (or will learn of) an identity:

sin 180 x sin x

2

vo
x
sin 2 o
g
sin 2 o sin 180 2 o sin 2 90 o
The angle o and 90 o give the same horizontal
distance or range!

Projectile Motion Day 2 & 3

Projectile HW #3
See Schedule

Example #8: Another ball is thrown upwards at 75.0 ft/s at 70.0

above the horizontal from the top of a 90.0 foot tall building.
(a) What is the maximum height of the ball above the ground?

cos 70.0 25.65

75.0 sin 70.0 70.48

vox vo cos o 75.0

ft
s

ft
s

voy vo sin o

ft
s

ft
s

v y , top 0
vy

0
2
vo y 2 gy

y ?
y

vo y

2g

vo y

2g

70.48

2 32.2

ft 2
s
ft
s2

77.1 ft

Add this onto the 90.0 ft tall starting height:

y 167.1 ft
(b) How long does it take for the ball to hit the ground?

y 90.0 ft

voy 70.48

y vo y t 12 gt 2

ft
s

90.0 ft 70.48

ft
s

t 32.2 t
1
2

ft

s2

16.1t 70.48t 90.0 0

2

70.48

70.48 416.1 90.0

216.1
2

t 1.03 s,5.41 s

(c) What is the horizontal range of the football?

x vox t

x 25.65

ft
s

5.41 s

x 139 ft

Example #9: A cannon fires a round at an angle of 65.0, and it is in

the air for 12.60 s. Find (a) the initial velocity of the projectile.

0
vo y 12 gt

vo y

y vo y t 12 gt 2
vo y t 12 gt 2
1
2

9.80 12.60 s 61.74

m

s2

m
s

61.74 ms
vo sin o vo
68.1 ms
sin 65.0

(b) What is the range of the projectile?

x vox t
x vo cos ot
x 68.12 ms cos 65.012.60 s
x 363 m

(c) What is the velocity of the projectile, as magnitude and direction,

at 10.00 s?

v x vox vo cos o
v x 68.12 ms cos 65.0 28.79 ms
v y vo y gt vo sin o gt
v y 61.74 ms 9.80 m s 2 10.00 s
v y 36.26 ms

vy = 36.26 m/s

vx = +28.79 m/s
Use Pythagorean theorem:

v vx v y
2

28.79 36.26
m 2
s

m 2
s

v 46.3 ms
Use inverse tangent:

tan

vy
vx

m
36
.
26
1
s
51.6
tan
below horizontal
28.79 ms

Example #10: In making a record jump, the truck Bigfoot jumped 208
feet. If the truck left the ramp at 69.3 mph, and the landing ramp was
identical in angle and height, determine the angle of the launch ramp.

Last 4 words spoken by a Redneck?

Hey Yall, Watch This!

vo 69.3

mile
hour

5280 ft

1 mile

1 hour

3600 s

vo 101.64

ft
s
2

From example #7, part (g), use:

vo
x
sin 2 o
g

gx 1 1
o sin
2 sin
2
vo
1
2

o 20.2

32.2 208 ft
ft

s2

101.64

ft 2
s

Example #11: It is the last play of the game and Troy is losing by 2 points to
Sunny (cough) Hills. They decide to attempt a 55.0 yard field goal. The
kicker kicks the ball straight at the 10.0 foot tall goal posts. If he kicks the
ball at 52.5 mph and 40.0 above the horizontal, does Troy win?

vo 52.5

mile
hour

5280 ft

1 mile
vo 77.0

1 hour

3600 s

ft
s

First, determine the time for the ball to travel 55.0 yard = 165 feet. Then
determine the height of the ball (hopefully) above the ground at this time.
Is this height greater than 10.0 feet?

x vo cos o t
165 ft
t
2.80 s
ft
77.0 s cos 40.0

y vo y t 12 gt 2

y 77.0

ft
s

sin 40.0 2.80 s

1
2

32.2 2.80 s

y 12.5 ft 10.0 ft

ft

s2

Example #12: Jrgen releases a shot-put 2.00 m above

the ground at an angle of 45.0 above the horizontal. If
his toss is 20.9 m, how fast did he release it?

vo ?
x 20.9 m

y 2.00 m

o 45.0
Substitute x into y and solve for vo.

x vo cos o t

x
t
vo cos o

y vo sin ot gt
1
2

x 1
x
2 g

y vo sin o
vo cos o
vo cos o
g x
y x tan o
2
2
2vo cos o
2

g x

x
tan

y
o
2
2
2vo cos o
2

g x
vo
2
2 x tan o y cos o
2

vo 13.7 ms 30.5 mph