You are on page 1of 7

Projectile motion refers to the motion of an object projected into the air at an angle.

A few examples of this include a soccer ball begin kicked, a baseball begin thrown, or an athlete long jumping. Even fireworks and water fountains are examples of projectile motion. In this lesson you will learn the fundamentals of projectile motion. You will be given examples and interesting facts. Finally, you will get to test your knowledge with a game called Water Balloons!.
http://library.thinkquest.org/2779/

Let us define projectile motion as the motion of a particle through a region of space where it is subject to constant acceleration. An object moving through the air near the surface of the earth is subject to the constant gravitational acceleration g, directed downward. If no other forces are acting on the object, i.e. if the object does not have a propulsion system and we neglect air resistance, then the motion of the object is projectile motion. Assume that we want to describe the motion of such an object, starting at time t = 0. Let us orient our coordinate system such that one of the axes, say the y-axis, points upward. Then a = ayj =- gj, ay = -g. We can rotate our coordinate system about the yaxis until the velocity vector of the object at t = 0 lies in the x-y plane, and we can choose the origin of our coordinate system to be at the position of the object at t = 0.

Since we have motion with constant acceleration, the velocity at time t will be v = v0 + at, and the position will be r = r0 + v0t + (1/2)at2. Writing this equation in component form and using r0 = 0, v0 = v0xi + v0yj, and a = ayj = -gj we have v = v0xi + v0yj - gtj, r = v0xti + v0ytj - (1/2)gt2j.

The position vector r and the velocity vector v at time t have only components along the x- and y-axes. By choosing a convenient orientation of our coordinate system we have simplified the mathematics involved in solving a projectile motion problem. We can treat projectile motion as motion in two dimensions with

vx = v0x, vy= v0y - gt,

x = v0xt,

y = v0yt - (1/2)gt2.

If the initial velocity v0 makes an angle 0 with the x-axis, then v0x = v0cos0 and v0y = v0sin0.

Then vx = v0cos0 = constant, x = v0cos0t, vy = v0sin0 - gt, y = v0sin0t - (1/2)gt2. We can solve x = v0cos0t for t in terms of x, t = x/(v0cos0) and substitute this expression for t into y = v0sin0t - (1/2)gt2. We obtain y = xtan(0) - gx2/(2v02cos2(0)), an equation for the path (or trajectory) of the object. This equation is of the form y = ax - bx2, which is the equation of a parabola which passes through the origin. The trajectory for projectile motion is a parabola. Links:
Horizontally Launched Projectiles Non-Horizontally Launched Projectiles Example:

Assume a projectile is launched with v0x = 4 m/s, v0y = 3 m/s. We have tan0 = v0y/v0x = 3/4, 0 = 30.87o, v02 = v0x2 + v0y2, v0 = 5 m/s. The projectile moves along a parabolic path until it impacts the ground. Its coordinates as a function of time are x = (4 m/s)t, y = (3 m/s)t - (4.9 m/s2)t2. Its velocity components are vx = 4 m/s, vy = (3 m/s) - (9.8 m/s2)t2.

x(t)

y(t)

vx(t)

vy(t)

0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45 0.5 0.55 0.6

0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 2 2.4

0 0.251 0.404 0.459 0.416 0.275 0.036

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

3 2.51 2.02 1.53 1.04 0.55 0.06 -0.43 -0.92 -1.41 -1.9 -2.39 -2.88

0.2 0.13775 0.6 0.33975 1 0.44375 1.4 0.44975 1.8 0.35775 2.2 0.16775

As we can see from the graphs below, the projectile impacts the ground after approximately 0.6 seconds. It reaches its maximum height after approximately 0.3 seconds. Its range is approximately 2.4 meters. In approximately 0.3 seconds it has covered half its range. The trajectory for projectile motion is symmetric about the point of maximum height. The projectile covers the same horizontal distance reaching its maximum height as it does falling from its maximum height back to the ground. It takes the projectile the same amount of time reaching its maximum height as it does to fall from the maximum height back to the ground. When the projectile reaches its maximum height, after approximately 0.3 s, the vertical component of its velocity is zero. We can therefore find the time when the projectile reaches its maximum height by setting vy = vy0 - gt = 0 and solving for t. We find tmax_height = vy0/g = v0sin0/g. We can now find the range R by substituting t = 2tmax_height into the equation for x(t). R = v0cos02tmax_height = (2v02cos0sin0)/g = (v02sin20)/g. Similarly, we find the maximum height h by substituting tmax_height into the equation for y(t). h = v0sin0tmax_height - (1/2)gt2max_height = (v02sin20)/2g.

Look at the expression for the range R, R = (v02sin20)/g. For a given v0, R as a function of the launch angle 0 has its maximum value when sin20 has its maximum value of 1. This happens when 20 = 90o, or 0 = 45o. Link:
Maximum Range

Simultaneous motion

Some problems involve the motion of two particles. Often these problems require that the two particles meet at the same place at the same time. An often stated problem is the monkey problem. A monkey is hanging from a branch in a tree, a certain height h above the ground. A zookeeper stands a distance d from the tree, with a banana in his hand. The zookeeper knows that the monkey always lets go of the branch just as the banana is thrown to it. In which direction must the zookeeper throw the banana, so that the monkey can catch it? Explore a simulation of this problem :
Two Projectiles

If you want to step through the video frame by frame click here.

Analysis of the problem:


The position of a projectile as a function of time is given by r = v0t + (1/2)gt2. We can view the motion of the projectile as a superposition of two motions, a motion with constant velocity v0 in the initial direction and a downward motion with constant acceleration, like the motion of a freely falling particle. If the gun is aimed at the target and fired at t = 0, then motion with constant velocity v0 will bring the projectile to the initial position of the target at some later time t. In the time interval between 0 and t the downward motion with constant acceleration carries the projectile downward by an amount (1/2)gt2. Superimposing the two motions will bring the projectile at time t to the position of the freely falling target at time t, independent of the magnitude of v0. In the time time interval between 0 and t the freely falling target moves downward by an amount (1/2)gt2. Problems: One strategy in a snowball fight is to throw a snowball at a high angle over level ground. While you opponent is watching the first one, you throw a second snowball at a low angle timed to arrive before or at the same time as the first one. Assume both snowballs are thrown with a speed of 25 m/s. The first is thrown at an angle of 70o with respect to the horizontal. (a) At what angle should the second snowball be thrown to arrive at the same point as the first? (b) How many seconds later should the second snowball be thrown after the first to arrive at the same time? Solution: (a) The range of a projectile is R = (v02sin20)/g. If v0 is constant, the range is a function of 0. The function sin20 is symmetric about 20 = 90o, or 0 = 45o. It has the same value for 0 = 45o + ' as it has for 0 = 45o - '. So a snowball thrown with 0 = 70o = 45o + 25o has the same range as a snowball thrown with 0 = 45o - 25o = 20o. The second snowball should be thrown at an angle of 20o. (b) The time a snowball is in the air is 2tmax_height = 2vy0/g = (2v0sin0)/g. The flight time of the first snowball is 2tmax_height = 2v0sin70o/g = 4.79 s. The flight time of the second snowball is 2tmax_height = 2v0sin20o/g = 1.74 s. The second snowball must be thrown 3.05 s after the first ball. An astronaut on a strange planet finds that she can jump a maximum horizontal distance of 15 m if her initial speed is 3 m/s. What is the free-fall acceleration on the planet? Solution: To have maximum range for a given initial velocity, her launch angle must be 0 = 45o. Her range then is R = (v02sin20)/g' = v02sin90o/g' = v02/g'. We have g' = v02/R = 0.6m/s2.

Two projectiles are thrown with the same magnitude of initial velocity, one at an angle of ' with respect to the level ground and the other at an angle 90o - '. Both projectiles will strike the ground at the same distance from the projection point. Will both projectiles be in the air for the same time interval? Solution When two projectiles are thrown with the same initial speed and they have the same range, then the one thrown with the smaller launch angle with respect to the ground has the shorter flight time. Note: We can denote the two launch angles that have the same range as 0 = 45o , or as 0 = ' and 0 = 90o - '. The relationship between and ' is + ' = 45o. A ball is projected horizontally from the top of a building. One second later, another ball is projected horizontally from the same point, with the same velocity. At what point in the motion will the balls be closest to each other? Will the first ball always be traveling faster than the second ball? What will be the time difference between when the balls hit the ground? Can the horizontal projection velocity of the second ball be changed, so that the balls arrive at the ground at the same time? Solution The horizontal distance between the balls will always be v0 times 1 s. After the second ball has been launched at t = 1 s, the vertical distance (in meters) at time t (measured in seconds) will be (1/2)g(t2 - (t - 1)2)= (4.9)(2t - 1). It increases with t, therefore during flight the balls are closest to each other just after launch. (We do not know where they were located before they were launched and what happens to them after they land.) The horizontal component of velocity of both balls is constant. The vertical component of velocity of ball 1 has magnitude gt and the vertical component of velocity of ball 2 has magnitude g(t - 1). Since v2 = vx2+vy2, ball 1 will always be faster than ball 2. Ball 2 will hit the ground 1 second after ball 1, independent of the horizontal velocity component. The flight time of each ball is determined by the vertical distance it must fall, not by the horizontal velocity component. http://electron9.phys.utk.edu/phys135d/modules/m3/Projectile%20motion.htm

You might also like