How Is Displacement Calculated in Projectile Motion on Mars?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Delta G
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Projectile
AI Thread Summary
Displacement in projectile motion on Mars is calculated by considering both horizontal and vertical components. The probe's telemetry readings indicate an initial altitude of 3000 m and a final touchdown altitude of 0 m, leading to a vertical displacement of 3000 m. The horizontal velocity of 53.84 m/s and the total time of descent, calculated from the telemetry intervals, are essential for determining the horizontal displacement. By applying Pythagorean theorem to combine the horizontal and vertical displacements, the total displacement can be accurately calculated. The correct magnitude of displacement between the first and last reading is 4397 m.
Delta G
Messages
4
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



Telemetry for a remote space probe is the ability to measure altitude using radar. A probe with initial horizontal velocity of 53.84 m/s descends on Mars. During the landing attempt, the telemetry readings are relayed to Earth every 9.952 s. The sequence received is: 3000 m, 2921 m, 2685 m, 2291 m, 1740 m, 165.0 m, touchdown. What is the magnitude of the displacement between the first and last reading?

a. 4397 m
b. 161,521 m
c. 3536 m
d. 3000 m

Homework Equations



vy^2 = v0^2 +2ay
vy = v0y +at
x = x0 +vox*t
y = y0 + v0y*t +1/2*at^2

The Attempt at a Solution


 
Physics news on Phys.org
Displacement is a vector. Although you can quickly say that the horizontal component of the displacement is 3000, that is not the answer. You must use the horizontal velocity paired with the total time to find an x component of displacement. Using Pythagoras's theorem, find the hypotenuse of the two components.
 
Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
Back
Top