Projectile Problems AP Physics 1

Use separate sheet/notebook to solve problems. Show all work including a diagram of the problem, list of x-
and y- variables that indicate the given initial and final conditions, and the equations used to solve the problem.

1. A box is dropped from a spacecraft moving horizontally at 27.0 m/s at a distance of 155 m above the surface
of a moon. The rate of freefall acceleration on this airless moon is 2.79 m/s2.
a) How long does it take the box to reach the moon’s surface?
b) What is its horizontal displacement during this time?
c) What is its vertical velocity when it strikes the surface?
d) At what speed does the box strike the moon?

2. a) Two identical cannons fire cannonballs horizontally with the same initial velocity, v0. One cannon is
located on a platform partway up a tower, and the other is on top, four times higher than the first cannon.
How much farther from the tower does the cannonball from the higher cannon land than the cannonball
from the lower tower? To answer, think about which two variables you want to find the relationship
between. To do this problem,
derive an expression for the flight time, t, of the cannonball in terms of v0, y, and g
derive an expression for the horizontal range, x, of the cannonball in terms of v0, y, and g
b) Two cannons at the same height fire cannonballs horizontally. One cannon fires the cannonball with initial
velocity, v0, and the other fires an identical cannonball with four times the initial velocity, 4v0. How much
farther horizontally does the 4v0 cannonball travel before landing?

c) Derive an expression for the impact speed, v, of the cannonball that was horizontally fired at an initial
velocity of v0, from a platform …

3. You desperately want to qualify for the Olympics in the long jump, so you decide to hold the qualifying
event on the moon of your choice. You need to jump 7.52 m (and conveniently beat Galina Chistyakova's
record) to qualify. The maximum speed at which you can run at take-off is 5.90 m/s, 210 above the
horizontal. What is the magnitude of the maximum rate of freefall acceleration the moon can have for you to
achieve your dream?

4. Sam tosses a ball horizontally off a footbridge at 3.1 m/s. How much time passes after he releases it until its
speed doubles? (A clearly drawn diagram really helps for this one)

5. Randy Johnson throws a baseball horizontally from the top of a building as fast as his 2004 record of 102.0
mph (45.6 m/s). How much time passes until it moves at an angle 13.0 degrees below the horizontal? Ignore
air resistance. (A clearly drawn diagram really helps for this one)

6. You are returning a tennis ball that your five year old neighbor has accidentally thrown into your yard, but
you need to throw it over a 3.0 m fence. You want to throw it so that it barely clears the fence (so it peaks at
3.0m). You are standing 0.50 m away from the fence and throw underhanded, releasing the ball at a height
of 1.0 m. Determine the initial velocity you would use to accomplish this?

7. A juggler throws a ball with an initial horizontal velocity of 1.1 m/s and an initial vertical velocity of 5.7 m/s.
What is its acceleration at the top of its flight path? What is the ball’s velocity at the top of its flight path?

8. You kick a soccer ball at a 10.00 angle above the horizontal. You want to double how far it travels but still
want to kick the ball with equal initial speed. You cannot kick the ball above a 450 angle. At what angle
should you kick the ball? (Hint: you need to derive an expression for horizontal range, x, in terms of v0, ,
and g to solve this one)
 x y
9. A player kicks two identical balls from ground level with
the same initial speeds. One was kicked at an angle of 20o
above the horizontal and the second was kicked 70o above
the horizontal. Both balls land on the level ground. Ignore
air resistance.
a) Which ball is in air longer? Explain t t
b) Which ball reaches the highest peak? Explain
c) Which ball has the largest horizontal range? Explain vx vy
d) Which ball has the greatest impact speed? Explain.
e) Sketch the motion graphs indicated at right for each
ball. Show the plots for both balls on the same graph.
t t
Be qualitatively accurate in your sketches and label
landmark positions and times on the axes.

ax ay

t t

10. From behind the safety of a big rock, you fire a paint ball bazooka in the direction of a cliff. Your giant paint ball
bazooka fires a giant paint ball with a muzzle velocity of 35 m/s and you notice that it hits the cliff at a height of 33m
above the muzzle of your giant paint ball bazooka 3 sec after you pulled the trigger.
a. At what angle was it fired
b. At what horizontal distance from the cliff did you fire the giant paint ball,
c. what is the velocity (magnitude and direction) of the paintball just before it impacts the cliff
d. When the paint ball hits the wall, is it rising or falling?
e. What is the peak height of the paintball?

11. The graph to the right shows the Speed vs. Time for a
projectile launched from the ground at some angle
from the horizontal. The acceleration due to gravity at
this location has a value of 10.0 m/s2. Determine:
a) The horizontal velocity of the projectile
b) The initial vertical velocity of the projectile.
c) The launch angle.
d) The max height reached by the projectile.
e) The horizontal range of the projectile.

12. A ball is thrown from the top of a tall building. It

13. Challenging: You and your friend are practicing pass plays with a football. You throw the football at a 35.00 angle
above the horizontal at 19.0 m/s. Your friend starts right next to you, and moves down the field directly away from
you at 5.50 m/s. How long after he starts running should you throw the football? Assume he catches the ball at the
same height at which you throw it. (Set up variables for the football and for the runner. They must be in the same
place at the same time to meet)

14. Challenging: A homerun just clears a fence 105 m from home plate. The fence is 4.00 m higher than the height at
which the batter struck the ball, and the ball left the bat at a 31.00 angle above the horizontal. At what speed did the
 ball leave the bat? (Hints: You cannot assume that the ball is at peak height when it clears the fence. No matter what
equation you write for x- or y-, you will have 2 unknown variables. Therefore you need to set up 2 equations for the
same 2 unknowns. Those 2 equations come from the x-direction and the y-direction. Label your variables with the
appropriate subscripts and don’t mix them up)

15. Challenging: You need to calibrate your giant paint ball bazooka, so you fire it at an angle of 60° and you find that
the giant paint ball splatters the ground at a horizontal distance of 107 m from the end of the muzzle, and a distance of
1.7 m below the end of the muzzle. (Hint: this is a similar problem to #12. See the Hint for that problem)
a. What is the muzzle velocity, v0, of your giant paint ball bazooka,
b. how long does it take for the giant paint ball to hit the ground and splatter,
c. what is the impact velocity of the paint ball?

Answers
1a) 10.5s b) 284m c) 29.3 m/s downwards d) 39.8 m/s (47o below horizontal for velocity)
2a) lands 2 xs farther away b) lands 4 xs farther away 3) 3.1 m/s2 4) 0.55 s 5) 1.07s
o 2
6) 6.31 m/s, 83 above the horizontal 7) a = 9.8 m/s downward, vtop=1.1m/s horizontally 8) 21.6o
o o
10a) 48 b) 70.3m c) 23.8m/s, 9.7 below horiz e) 33.8m 12) 39m 13) 4.06s later 14) 35.3m/s
15a) 35m/s b) 6.11s c) 35.4m/s, 60.4o below horiz