Projectile Motion- 2D Kinematics

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on solving a projectile motion problem involving a mortar fired at a 60-degree angle that hits a building 15 meters high and 30 meters away. The user sets up equations for both horizontal and vertical motion, using the known values to express time and velocity. They express uncertainty about the correct approach to substitute time into the distance equations. A suggested method involves substituting the time derived from the x-distance equation into the y-distance equation to solve for the launch velocity. The final goal is to find the launch velocity (VL) using the derived equations.
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Homework Statement



A mortar elevated to 60 degrees scores a hit 15 m up a building 30 m away. With what speed was the shell fired?

I know I have to find the launch velocity, or VL. Here is a quick sketch i did:

nx50ts.jpg


Homework Equations




s= vot + 1/2at2

v = s/t

The Attempt at a Solution



I began by setting up a table of known factors:

2na43s4.jpg


I first set up a distance equation with the x values-

30 = (VL * cos60)t {the second part of the equation presumably cancels out, because acceleration is 0}

Then, I set up the equation using y values-

15 = (VL * sin60)t - 4.9t2

Next I tried solving for time using a different equation using x values:

v = s/t

t = 30/VL * cos60

This being said- do I just plug what I found for t into the x-distance equation? I feel as if I'm not doing the problem correctly because then I would just be squaring the velocity in the x direction and dividing by 30 which leads me back to the original distance. I apologize in advance if the answer is staring at me from right under my nose, I'm not the smartest student. Any and all help is greatly appreciated, thank you so much in advance!
 
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15 = (VL * sin60)t - 4.9t^2

Substitute the value of t = 30/(VL*cos60)

15 = VLtan60 - 4.9*30^2/(VLcos60)^2

Now solve for VL.
 
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