What is Time of flight: Definition and 38 Discussions

Time of flight (ToF) is the measurement of the time taken by an object, particle or wave (be it acoustic, electromagnetic, etc.) to travel a distance through a medium. This information can then be used to establish a time standard (such as an atomic fountain), as a way to measure velocity or path length, or as a way to learn about the particle or medium's properties (such as composition or flow rate). The traveling object may be detected directly (e.g., via an ion detector in mass spectrometry) or indirectly (e.g., by light scattered from an object in laser doppler velocimetry).

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  1. A

    Needing some help about time of flight of a launched ball/horiz range

    The parts in bold are the questions and also highlights of my attempts at the solutions for each number and letter portion of the question. I attached a word doc to show the diagram and it also has the same questions ;) 4) A launcher is setup at the edge of a table as shown below: (I attached...
  2. M

    I Time of flight measurement uncertainty

    Hello! I am generating electrons from a 3D gaussian source. The electrons all have the same energy, but the direction is isotropic. The electron source is in between 2 plates that act as a capacitor, and one of them acts as a time of flight (tof) detector. I know the voltage on the plates very...
  3. crism7

    Calculating Time of Flight & Velocity of a Ball Thrown Upwards

    Vertical components: dy = 0m ay = 9.8m/s^2 [down] t = 1.34s V1y = required V2y = 0 i first tried to find V1y dy =vi t + 1/2 a t^2 and got V1y = -6.566 then i solved for time of flight dy =vi t + 1/2 a t^2 0 = -6.566t + 4/9t^2 and for 1.34 seconds does this mean the time of flight is the...
  4. brotherbobby

    Projectile motion with (constant) wind velocity

    Let me start be making a small sketch of the problem, shown to the right. If the range of the projectile on a still day ##R = v_{0x}T##, then on the windy day the range becomes ##R+2H = v'_{0x}T = (v_{0x}+v_w) T##. Since the maximum height attained by the projectile ##H =...
  5. brotherbobby

    Vertical flight with air resistance

    I suppose the trick in this question is to realize that the drag acts in opposite directions when the ball ascends and descends and that the ball actually takes less time to rise and more time to fall than normally. I make a small sketch of the problem alongside. Attempt : The total time of...
  6. S

    Time of flight of a projectile

    These questions normally have initial velocity = 0, so that one of the t terms cancels. In this case u = 20ms^-1 so I end up with a quadratic. Which is fine if I plug it into the quadratic formula as one result is -ve so can be ignored, while the other gives t as +ve. just wondering if this is...
  7. Benjamin_harsh

    Is my formulae correct for time of flight in this projectile problem?

    ##V_{oy} = V_{0}.sinθ = (20 m/sec)(sin 30) = 10 m/sec## ##V_{ox} = V_{0}.cosθ = (20 m/sec)(cos 30) = 17.3 m/sec## ##y = y_{0} + V_{oy}t - \large\frac {1}{2}\normalsize gt^{2}## ##0 = 50 + 10t - 4.9t^{2}## ##0 = 4.9t/6{2} - 10t - 50## ##t = \large\frac {-b±\sqrt {b^{2} - 4ac}}{2a}## ##t =...
  8. S

    Sound Wave Problem -- time of flight in air versus in water

    Homework Statement Homework Equations v = d/t Solve for t. t = d/v The Attempt at a Solution In my General Physics 2 course we are doing sound waves I have the answer to the problem which is 90.8m I am trying to understand the concepts of sound wave. So please correct me if I am wrong, 1...
  9. AntSC

    Modifying Newton's Kinematic Equations for High Altitude

    I recently watched a video on youtube where a guy fires a 50 cal. rifle straight up into the air and measures the time of flight at about 100s. It got me thinking about what altitude the round reached. So I used the kinematics equations and obtained a value of 12.25km. Amazing, but I wondered...
  10. A

    Simulate other lenses with Time of Flight (ToF) camera

    Hello, I have a small project in which I try to use a Time of Flight camera to detect movement in the Field of View. Now the current Field of View is really narrow (about 25° diagonal FoV), which is we I will have to simulate a bigger one. My professor did try to explain to me what changes...
  11. Elena14

    Air resistnce in projectile motion decreasing time of flight

    If the air resistance causes a vertical retardation of 10 percent of value of acceleration due to gravity, then the time of flight of a projectile will be decreased by nearly? Take g=10m/s^2 My attempt: Only the vertical component of the projectile will be affected by changes in g I understand...
  12. A

    How high did my golf ball go? (I have time of flight straight up)

    Years ago, I made a golf ball launcher. It shot straight up at a 90 degree angle. From launch to landing only 2 feet from where it started, it took about 20 seconds before it was back on the ground. Is there a way to determine its maximum speed and height it reached? This has been bugging me for...
  13. A

    Time of flight objects in air versus in vacuum

    Hello I needed to know a logical answer to the question that whether the time of flight of the objects in air increases or decreases as compared to vacuum? Why?
  14. R

    Find height, range and time of flight for projectile motion

    Homework Statement Homework Equations kinematics. a=F/m The Attempt at a Solution 100cos(70)=342 100sin(70)=393.7 X=1/2(-9.8)t^2+100t; t=0. t=20.4
  15. G

    Time of flight of projectile motion

    Homework Statement Why the time of vertical motion and horizontal motion of the projectile are the same ? I couldn't understand it. Could someone explain it ? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution
  16. 1

    Time of flight experiment to distinguish muons from pions?

    If I wanted to design an experiment which would allow to distinguish muons from pions in the energy range from 200 MeV to 2 GeV, how would I do it in a simple way? Could I just use the Time of Flight experiment? What quantitative arguments can one make for the design of the detectors?
  17. I

    Time of Flight using flight path and radius (Kepler's Equation)

    Homework Statement A lunar probe is given just escape speed at an altitude of .25 DU and flight path angle 30°. How long will it take the probe to get to the vicinity of the moon (r = 60 DU), disregarding the moon's gravity? Circular orbit, radius = 1.25 DU θ = 30° gravitational parameter =...
  18. C

    Muzzle velocity given test range, time of flight and ballistic properties.

    This isn't really homework, but I figure this is the most appropriate place to post this... Please do say if you think there is a more likely place it will get answered - I'm new! Homework Statement I am trying to calculate the muzzle velocity of an air rifle. I can find the time of flight...
  19. J

    Neutron Time of Flight Jacobian

    Dear Forum, I have been given a DT fusion spectrum where neutrons are produced in the following reactions, DT = 14.1 MeV DD = 2.45 MeV TT = 0-9.8 MeV (three body spectrum) The spectrum is given in the form dN/dE. I have converted this spectrum into the dE/dE by multipling the...
  20. S

    Calculating Time of Flight for a Launched Object

    Homework Statement A system is setup to launch an object horizontally off desks with an initial speed of 4.2 m/s. Height of desk is 1.3 meters. What time of flight should be predicted for the object?Homework Equations Δt = (v2 - v1) / ∂ (Not too sure)The Attempt at a Solution 1.3/4.2 = 0.31...
  21. X

    Calculating Trajectory & Time of Flight

    Homework Statement See picture Homework Equations Trajectory equation and total time of flight The Attempt at a Solution Okay what would be the best way to approach this? should i find out the distance the ball goes? then subtract 35m to to get my length of hill and use that for...
  22. L

    Projectile Motion- Horizontal Range and Time of Flight

    Homework Statement A rifle is used to fire two bullets. The first shot is at an angle of 60° above the horizontal and the second at an angle of 45° above the horizontal. The speed of EACH bullet as it leaves the rifle is 200ms^1. For EACH bullet calculate the horizontal range and the...
  23. S

    Calculating Time of Flight for a Golf Ball

    Homework Statement What is the time of flight of a golf ball? The Vi=40 m/s, the angle is 35 degrees, and the mass is .046kg. Homework Equations I'm assuming I need to use v = v_0 + a t but I don't know the final velocity or how to get it. The Attempt at a...
  24. N

    Time Of Flight (TOF) calculator

    Hello guys, I have a large amount of data... and I was wondering if there is a Time Of Flight (TOF) calculator out there for particle physics? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-of-flight
  25. M

    Calculate the time of flight of the bolt from ceiling to floor

    Motion question - please help Homework Statement A lift ascends with an upward acceleration of 1.5ms^(-2). At the instant its upward speed is 2.0ms^(-1), a loose bolt drops from the ceiling of the lift 3.0m from the floor. Calculate: (a) the time of flight of the bolt from ceiling to floor...
  26. L

    Electron and photons time of flight

    Hello, I would be interrested by some references comparing times of flight for photons and electrons. Ideally, I would like to see that for different energies. I would also prefer astrophysical sources, since the huge distances should increase the precision. Thanks
  27. C

    Time of flight of a projectile

    Homework Statement A projectile of mass m is fired from the ground with a speed of 200m/s at an angle to the ground of 30 degrees. Assuming that the air resistance is linear, given by -mλv where v is the projectile's velocity and λ=0.1 s^-1, then find (taking g=10m.s^-2) (a)the time of...
  28. G

    Projectile, Range, Maximum Height, Time of Flight Problem

    Homework Statement Your teacher tosses a basketball. The ball gets through the hoop. How long does it take the ball to reach its maximum height? How long does it take the ball to reach the hoop? What is the horizontal length of the shot? (Neglect air friction). Initial velocity: 17 m/s...
  29. S

    Calculating Time of Flight for Artillery Shell

    I am completely lost on this one; An artillery shell is fired at an angle of 85.1 degrees above the horizontal ground with an initial speed of 1960 m/s. The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s/s. Find the total time of flight. Can someone do it and explain how to do it?? Thanks so much!
  30. B

    Error measurement in time of flight tests

    I build a potato cannon with my friend and we were having fun shooting it safely in a clearing. I decided to shoot is straight up and measure the time it is in air. Out of three measurements I got 9, 9, and 7 seconds which is a long time. Taking and average and Using 2 dim eqs I got 2v=at...
  31. C

    Time of flight with air resistance

    I need to compute the time of flight of a projectile which is subject to air resistance. Here's where I am so far in solving the problem: F_{drag} = -B v^2 a = \frac{\partial v}{\partial t} = \frac{-B v^2}{m} integrate and solve for v... v = \sqrt[3]{\dfrac{1}{3 \dfrac{B}{m} t + C}} I then...
  32. R

    Time of Flight & Velocity of Projected Stone

    A stone is prjected with a velocity of 100m/s at an elevation of 30 degrees form a tower 150m high. Find: a. the time of flight ans:12.(4) secs b. the horizontal distance from the tower at which the stone strikes the ground ans: 1.0(8) x 10 3 c. the magnitude and the direction of the...
  33. U

    Calculating Time of Flight for Ball Thrown at 45° with Initial Speed 31 m/s

    A ball is thrown with an initial speed of 31 m/s at an angle of 45°.The ball is thrown from a height of 10 m and lands on the ground. (a) Find the time of flight. http://img153.echo.cx/img153/5338/showme2mp.gif I used the following formula: Yf = Yo + VoT - (1/2)GT^2 0 = 0 + (31...
  34. D

    Time of flight of an accelerated electron in a television tube

    I was given this problem for homework. Assume you have a television tube that is about 0.3 m from cathode to screen, and electrons are accelerated uniformly through 20 kV – the electric field is constant. How long does it take for the electrons to travel from the cathode to the screen...
  35. F

    Solving for Time of Flight of Stunt Vehicle

    A stunt vehical leaves and incline with a speed of 35 m/s at a height of 52-m above level ground. Air reistance is negligible. Find the vehicals time of flight? Well i found the x and y components of the vehicals velocity. And i know to use d = Vit + 1/2at² giving me: -52 = 16.4t +...
  36. F

    Q26: Electron Gun Physics - Kinetic Energy, Force, Acceleration & Time of Flight

    Q26. In the neck of the picture tube of a certain black-and-white television set, an electron gun contains two charged metallic plates 2.80 cm apart. An electric force accelerates each electron in the beam from rest to 9.60% of the speed of light over this distance. (a) Determine the kinetic...
  37. F

    What is the projectiles time of flight?

    Havin a bit of trouble on this one, just because of the lack of information. A projectile is launched over level ground at 35 m/s at an angle of 40 degrees above the horizontal. What is the projectiles time of flight? Someone mind helpin me out? :smile:
  38. T

    Solving Physics Questions: Speed, Height & Time of Flight

    Hi Everyone! Like always, thank you for helping me figure out my last physics question! I greatly appreciate the help. Here are my next questions: Q: Determine the speed at which a baseball must move in order for air resistance to be significant? A: mg = ½ * Cd * A * pair * v^2 pair =...
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