Projectile motion

Projectile-like motion:
If an object is projected horizontally, it motion can
best be described by considering its horizontal and
vertical motion separately.
Most projectile problems are solved using the following approach:
 Resolve the initial velocity 𝑣0 into its x and y components:
𝑣𝑜𝑥 = 𝑣0 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃 𝑣𝑜𝑦 = 𝑣0 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃

 The horizontal and vertical components of its position at any instant are given by
1
𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑡 𝑦= 𝑣0𝑦 𝑡 + 𝑔𝑡 2
2

 The horizontal and vertical components of its velocity at any instant are given by
𝑣𝑓𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣0𝑦 + 𝑔𝑡

 The final position and velocity can then be obtained from their components.
The important point to remember in applying these equations is to be consistent
throughout with units and sign convention.
Example
A bullet has a speed of 350 m/sec as it leaves a rifle. If it is fired horizontally from a cliff 6.4 m
above a lake, how far does the bullet travel before striking the water?
Exercises
1.- A baseball leaves a bat with a horizontal velocity of 20 m/s. In a time of 0.25 s, how far will it have
traveled horizontally and how far has it fallen vertically?
2.- An airplane traveling at 70 m/s drops a box of supplies. What horizontal distance will the box travel
before striking the ground 340 m below?
3.- A bullet leaves the barrel of a weapon with an initial horizontal velocity of 400 m/s. Find the
horizontal and vertical displacements after 3 s.
4.- A soccer ball is kicked horizontally off a 22.0-meter high hill and lands a distance of 35.0 meters
from the edge of the hill. Determine the initial horizontal velocity of the soccer ball.

Answers:
1.- x = 5.0 m, y = -0.306 m 2.- x = 583 m 3.- x = 1200 m, y = -44.1 m 4.- Vox=16.5 m/s
 A plane is flying horizontally at 120 m/s when it releases a package. The package crash lands on
an island 12.7 seconds later.
a) What is the horizontal component of the package’s velocity the instant it hits the ground?
b) What is the vertical component of v the instant it hits the ground?
c) What is the resultant velocity the instant it hits the ground?
Example
A baseball leaves the bat with a velocity of 35m/s at an angle of 30°. What are the horizontal
and vertical components of its velocity after 3 seconds? What is the maximum height and what
is the range?
A soccer ball is kicked with an initial velocity of 20 m/s at an angle of 30 degrees.
a) How much time does it take the ball to reach the peak?
b) How much total time does the ball spend in the air?
c) What is the maximum height the ball reaches?
d) What is the total range of the ball?
1.- A stone is given an initial velocity of 20 m/s at an angle of 580. What are its
horizontal and vertical displacements after 3 s?
2.- A projectile leaves the ground with a velocity of 35 m/s at an angle of 320.
What is the maximum height attained.
3.- A football is kicked with an initial velocity of 25 m/s at an angle of 45-degrees
with the horizontal. Determine the time of flight, the horizontal displacement,
and the peak height of the football.
4.- John kicks the ball and ball does projectile motion with an angle of 53º to
horizontal. Its initial velocity is 10 m/s, find the maximum height it can reach,
horizontal displacement and total time required for this motion.

1.- x = 31.8 m, y = 6.738 m 2.- ymax = 17.5 m 3.- t=3.61 x = 63.8 m, y = 15.9 m
4.- y=3.2m, x=9.6, t=1.6
A: t= 1.1497 s, x = 12.2 m, y = 1.6 m
Example
A medieval prince trapped in a castle wraps a message around
a rock and throws it from the top of the castle wall with an
initial velocity of 12 m/s [42° above the horizontal]. The rock
lands just on the far side of the castle’s moat, at a level 9.5 m
below the initial level. Determine the rock’s (a) time of flight
(b) width of the moat (c) velocity at impact
5.- A long jumper leaves the ground with an initial velocity of 12 m/s at an angle of 28-degrees
above the horizontal. Determine the time of flight, the horizontal distance, and the peak height
of the long-jumper.

A: t= 1.1497 s, x = 12.2 m, y = 1.6 m

6.- In the given picture you see the motion path of cannonball. Find the maximum height it can
reach, horizontal distance it covers and total time from the given information. (The angle
between cannonball and horizontal is 53º)

Answer:
ymax=80 m
ttotal=6 sec
x=90m
7.- A ball is thrown 20.0 m/s at an angle of 40.0 degrees with the horizontal. Assume the ball is
thrown at ground level.
a. How long does it take the ball to reach the wall?
b. At what height does the ball hit the wall?
c. Calculate the velocity of the ball at this instant before it hits the wall. Is it moving up or down
at this point?

Answer: t= 1.44 s, y= 8.42m, v=15.34 m/s

8.- A field goal kicker lines up to kick a 44 yard (40 m) field goal. He kicks it with an
initial velocity of 22 m/s at an angle of 55◦ . The field goal posts are 3 meters high.
a. Does he make the field goal?
b. What is the ball’s velocity just as it reaches the field goal post (i.e., after it has
traveled 40 m in the horizontal direction)?

Answer:
a. yes b. 18.17 m/s
9.- During volcanic eruptions, chunks of solid rock can be blasted out of the volcano; these projectiles
are called volcanic bombs. The initial velocity of a volcanic bomb is 82.0 m/s at 35.0 degrees. Point A is
3300.0 m above B.
a. What is the horizontal distance traveled by the bomb?
b. Determine the velocity of the bomb before impact.
c. Calculate the maximum height of the bomb above the ground.

Answer: x= 2093m, v= 268 m/s, y= 3410m

A football is kicked at an angle θ 0 = 37.0° with a velocity of 20 0 m/s as shown. The football was
punted and left the punter’s foot at a height of 1.00 m above the ground. How far did the
football travel before hitting the ground?

A: x=40.5 m
A racquetball thrown from the ground at an angle of 45◦ and with a speed of 22.5 m/s lands
exactly 2.5 s later on the top of a nearby building. Calculate the horizontal distance it traveled
and the height of the building.
A: x= 40 m; y= 8.5 m
1.A stunt car traveling toward the edge of a cliff at 25 meters per second lands 50 meters measu
red horizontally from the edge of the cliff.
a) How much time does it take the car to reach the ground?
b) Determine the height of the cliff. (2s, -19.6 m)

2.A baseball is hit with an initial velocity of 35 meters per second at an angle of 18° above horiz
ontal.
a. Calculate the time that it will take for the ball to reach the top of its flight.
b. Calculate the maximum height that the ball will reach.
c. Calculate the range (1.1 s, 5.9 m, 73.23 m)
A placekicker strikes a football with a horizontal velocity of 22 meters per second and vertical v
elocity of 10 meters per second. The ball reaches its maximum height within 1.02 seconds.
a) What is the total time that the ball will spend in the air?
b) Calculate the horizontal distance that the football will travel during its flight. (2.04s, 44.9 m)