Chapter 4

Motion in Two Dimensions

Motion in Two Dimensions
 Using + or – signs is not always sufficient to fully
describe motion in more than one dimension
 Vectors can be used to more fully describe motion
 Will look at vector nature of quantities in more detail
 Still interested in displacement, velocity, and
acceleration
 Will serve as the basis of multiple types of motion in
future chapters
Position and Displacement
 The position of an
object is describedby
its position vector, r
 The displacement of
the object is defined as
the change in its
position
  
  r  rf  ri
General Motion Ideas
 In two- or three-dimensional kinematics,
everything is the same as as in one-
dimensional motion except that we must now
use full vector notation
 Positive and negative signs are no longer
sufficient to determine the direction
Average Velocity
 The average velocity is the ratio of the displacement
to the time interval for the displacement

 r
vavg 
t
 The direction of the average velocity is the direction
of the displacement vector
 The average velocity between points is independent
of the path taken
 This is because it is dependent on the displacement, also
independent of the path
Instantaneous Velocity
 The instantaneous
velocity is the limit of the
average velocity as Δt
approaches zero
 
 r dr
v  lim 
t 0 t dt
 As the time interval
becomes smaller, the
direction of the
displacement approaches
that of the line tangent to the
curve
Instantaneous Velocity, cont
 The direction of the instantaneous velocity
vector at any point in a particle’s path is along
a line tangent to the path at that point and in
the direction of motion
 The magnitude of the instantaneous velocity
vector is the speed
 The speed is a scalar quantity
Average Acceleration
 The average acceleration of a particle as it
moves is defined as the change in the
instantaneous velocity vector divided by the
time interval during which that change
occurs.
  
 v f  v i v
aavg  
tf  t i t
Average Acceleration, cont
 As a particle moves,
the direction of the
change in velocity is
found by vector
subtraction
  
v  v f  v i
 The average
acceleration is a vector
quantity directed along

v
Instantaneous Acceleration
 The instantaneous acceleration
 is the limiting
value of the ratio v t as Δt approaches
zero  
 v dv
a  lim 
t 0 t dt
 The instantaneous equals the derivative of the
velocity vector with respect to time
Producing An Acceleration
 Various changes in a particle’s motion may
produce an acceleration
 The magnitude of the velocity vector may change
 The direction of the velocity vector may change
 Even if the magnitude remains constant
 Both may change simultaneously
Kinematic Equations for Two-
Dimensional Motion
 When the two-dimensional motion has a constant
acceleration, a series of equations can be
developed that describe the motion
 These equations will be similar to those of one-
dimensional kinematics
 Motion in two dimensions can be modeled as two
independent motions in each of the two
perpendicular directions associated with the x and y
axes
 Any influence in the y direction does not affect the motion
in the x direction
Kinematic Equations, 2
 Position vector for a particle moving in the xy
plane r  x ˆi  yˆj
 The velocity vector can be found from the
position vector
 dr
v  v x ˆi  v y ˆj
dt
 Since acceleration is constant, we can also find
an expression
  for  the velocity as a function of
time: v f  v i  at
Kinematic Equations, 3
 The position vector can also be expressed as
a function of time:
   1 2
 rf  ri  v i t  at
2
 This indicates that the position vector is the sum
of three other vectors:
 The initial position vector
 The displacement resulting from the initial velocity
 The displacement resulting from the acceleration
Kinematic Equations, Graphical
Representation of Final Velocity
 The velocity vector can
be represented by its
components

 vf is generally not along

thedirection of either v i
or a
Kinematic Equations, Graphical
Representation of Final Position
 The vector
representation of the
position vector

 rf is generally not along

the same direction as v i

or as a
 
 vf and rf are generally
not in the same
direction
Graphical Representation
Summary
 Various starting positions and initial velocities
can be chosen
 Note the relationships between changes
made in either the position or velocity and the
resulting effect on the other
Projectile Motion
 An object may move in both the x and y
directions simultaneously
 The form of two-dimensional motion we will
deal with is called projectile motion
Assumptions of Projectile
Motion
 The free-fall acceleration is constant over the
range of motion
 It is directed downward
 This is the same as assuming a flat Earth over the
range of the motion
 It is reasonable as long as the range is small compared
to the radius of the Earth
 The effect of air friction is negligible
 With these assumptions, an object in projectile
motion will follow a parabolic path
 This path is called the trajectory
Projectile Motion Diagram
Analyzing Projectile Motion
 Consider the motion as the superposition of the
motions in the x- and y-directions
 The actual position at any time is given by:
   1 2
rf  ri  v i t  gt
2
 The initial velocity can be expressed in terms of its
components
 vxi = vi cos  and vyi = vi sin 
 The x-direction has constant velocity
 ax = 0
 The y-direction is free fall
 ay = -g
Effects of Changing Initial
Conditions
 The velocity vector
components depend on
the value of the initial
velocity
 Change the angle and
note the effect
 Change the magnitude
and note the effect
Analysis Model
 The analysis model is the superposition of
two motions
 Motion of a particle under constant velocity in the
horizontal direction
 Motion of a particle under constant acceleration in
the vertical direction
 Specifically, free fall
Projectile Motion Vectors
   1 2
 rf  ri  v i t  gt
2
 The final position is the
vector sum of the initial
position, the position
resulting from the initial
velocity and the
position resulting from
the acceleration
Projectile Motion –
Implications
 The y-component of the velocity is zero at the
maximum height of the trajectory
 The acceleration stays the same throughout
the trajectory
 Range and Maximum Height of
a Projectile
 When analyzing projectile
motion, two
characteristics are of
special interest
 The range, R, is the
horizontal distance of the
projectile
 The maximum height the
projectile reaches is h
Height of a Projectile, equation
 The maximum height of the projectile can be
found in terms of the initial velocity vector:
v i2 sin2  i
h
2g
 This equation is valid only for symmetric
motion
Range of a Projectile, equation
 The range of a projectile can be expressed in
terms of the initial velocity vector:
v i sin 2 i
2
R
g
 This is valid only for symmetric trajectory
More About the Range of a
Projectile
Range of a Projectile, final
 The maximum range occurs at i = 45o
 Complementary angles will produce the
same range
 The maximum height will be different for the two
angles
 The times of the flight will be different for the two
angles
Projectile Motion – Problem
Solving Hints
 Conceptualize
 Establish the mental representation of the projectile moving
along its trajectory
 Categorize
 Confirm air resistance is neglected
 Select a coordinate system with x in the horizontal and y in
the vertical direction
 Analyze
 If the initial velocity is given, resolve it into x and y
components
 Treat the horizontal and vertical motions independently
Projectile Motion – Problem
Solving Hints, cont.
 Analysis, cont
 Analyze the horizontal motion using constant velocity
techniques
 Analyze the vertical motion using constant acceleration
techniques
 Remember that both directions share the same time
 Finalize
 Check to see if your answers are consistent with the
mental and pictorial representations
 Check to see if your results are realistic
Non-Symmetric Projectile
Motion
 Follow the general rules
for projectile motion
 Break the y-direction into
parts
 up and down or
 symmetrical back to
initial height and then
the rest of the height
 Apply the problem solving
process to determine and
solve the necessary
equations
 May be non-symmetric in
other ways
Uniform Circular Motion
 Uniform circular motion occurs when an object
moves in a circular path with a constant speed
 The associated analysis motion is a particle in
uniform circular motion
 An acceleration exists since the direction of the
motion is changing
 This change in velocity is related to an acceleration
 The velocity vector is always tangent to the path of
the object
Changing Velocity in Uniform
Circular Motion

 The change in the

velocity vector is due to
the change in direction

 The vector
 diagram
 
shows vf  v i  v
Centripetal Acceleration
 The acceleration is always perpendicular to
the path of the motion
 The acceleration always points toward the
center of the circle of motion
 This acceleration is called the centripetal
acceleration
Centripetal Acceleration, cont
 The magnitude of the centripetal acceleration vector
is given by
v2
aC 
r
 The direction of the centripetal acceleration vector is
always changing, to stay directed toward the center
of the circle of motion
Period
 The period, T, is the time required for one
complete revolution
 The speed of the particle would be the
circumference of the circle of motion divided
by the period
 Therefore, the period is defined as
2 r
T 
v
Tangential Acceleration
 The magnitude of the velocity could also be changing
 In this case, there would be a tangential acceleration
 The motion would be under the influence of both
tangential and centripetal accelerations
 Note the changing acceleration vectors
Total Acceleration
 The tangential acceleration causes the
change in the speed of the particle
 The radial acceleration comes from a change
in the direction of the velocity vector
Total Acceleration, equations
dv
 The tangential acceleration: at 
dt
v2
 The radial acceleration: ar  aC  
r
 The total acceleration:

 Magnitude a  a a2
r
2
t

 Direction
 Same as velocity vector if v is increasing, opposite if v is
decreasing
Relative Velocity
 Two observers moving relative to each other
generally do not agree on the outcome of an
experiment
 However, the observations seen by each are related
to one another
 A frame of reference can described by a Cartesian
coordinate system for which an observer is at rest
with respect to the origin
Different Measurements,
example
 Observer A measures
point P at +5 m from
the origin
 Observer B measures
point P at +10 m from
the origin
 The difference is due to
the different frames of
reference being used
Different Measurements,
another example
 The man is walking on the
moving beltway
 The woman on the beltway
sees the man walking at his
normal walking speed
 The stationary woman sees
the man walking at a much
higher speed
 The combination of the
speed of the beltway and
the walking
 The difference is due to the
relative velocity of their
frames of reference
Relative Velocity, generalized
 Reference frame SA is
stationary
 Reference frame SB is
moving to the right

relative to SA at v AB
 This also means
 that SA
moves at – vBA relative to
SB
 Define time t = 0 as that
time when the origins
coincide
Notation
 The first subscript represents what is being
observed
 The second subscript represents who is
doing the observing

 Example v AB
 The velocity of A as measured by observer B
Relative Velocity, equations
 The positions as seen from the two reference
frames are related through the velocity
  
 rPA  rPB  v BAt
 The derivative of the position equation will give the
velocity
 equation
 
 uPA  uPB  vBA

 u is the velocity of the particle P measured by observer A
PA
 u is the velocity of the particle P measured by observer B
PB
 These are called the Galilean transformation
equations
Acceleration in Different
Frames of Reference
 The derivative of the velocity equation will
give the acceleration equation
 The acceleration of the particle measured by
an observer in one frame of reference is the
same as that measured by any other
observer moving at a constant velocity
relative to the first frame.