# Projectile motion Definition and 182 Discussions

Projectile motion is a form of motion experienced by a launched object. Ballistics (Greek: βάλλειν, romanized: ba'llein, lit. 'to throw') is the science of dynamics that deals with the flight, behavior and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, unguided bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.

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1. ### Roll and Drop!

Vertical position (x component): y(t) = y0 +v0 * t -1/2*g*t^2 Position yx(t) = 0cm = 40cm + 0 *t -1/2 * 981cm/s/s * t^2 edit: I replaced v0 = 0 and got t = 0.286s, which is incorrect according to the submission. This didn't work so I thought maybe by finding the angle of the throw would help...
2. ### Circular motion to projectile motion

So first I found the velocity of the ball at the bottom of the swing from the force equations, which I got to be 4.9 m/s and this is only in the x-direction. Then using the projectile motion for delta y I found time, which is 0.2s. Then using that time I found the delta x to be 0.98m. I just...
3. ### What is the minimum height h that is required to generate the greatest projectile range?

I am calculating it like this: 𝑦=ℎ0−0.5𝑔𝑡^2=0→ℎ0=0.5𝑔𝑡^2→𝑡=sqrt(2*ℎ0/g) 𝑥=𝑣0*𝑡→ substituting t →𝑥=𝑣0*sqrt(2*ℎ0/g) 𝑑𝑥/𝑑ℎ0=𝑣0/(𝑔*sqrt(2*h0/g))=0 for maximum ℎ0=0. confused. can someone tell me how I am calculating this wrong?
4. ### I If we throw a ball with initial velocity v0, is there a force?

If we throw a ball with initial velocity v0, and the ball progresses in a projectile motion, ignoring air resistance, will there be a force in the x direction? If so, what is that force in the x direction's value mathematically? I know there is a force in the y direction due to gravity.
5. ### Kinematic Equations in Projectile Motion (this approach is not working)

Givens: Vyi=12.5 m/s Vyf=-12.5 m/s (at the same horizontal level) ay=-9.81 m/s^2 Δy= zero m (as the displacement on the y-axis, when the projectile reaches the same horizontal level, is zero m) Δt=? When I use Δy=[(vyi+vyf)/2]*Δt I get the time as undefined. Δt= 2Δy/(vyi+vyf) = 2*0 m/(12.5...
6. ### Relationship between horizontal range and angle of launch

I would like to conduct an experiment asking the question "how does the angle at which a projectile is launched vary with respect to the horizontal range it covers?" Ultimately, I'd like to prove that the horizontal range is directly proportional to sin(2(theta)). This will be done with the aid...
7. ### Stopping a Bullet

(a) ##u_{min}=\big(1+\frac{m_2}{m_1}\big)\sqrt{2\mu_k g d}## (b) ##x_f=\sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}\Big(\big(\frac{m_1}{m_1+m_2}u\big)^2-2\mu_k g d\Big)}## Can someone check please?
8. ### B Projectile motion — Thinking about forces on a curve ball

When a ball is thrown such that it moves in a curved trajectory in the horizontal plane, it amuses me to think of its dynamics. In motion of a ball thrown upwards the force of gravity gives it a parabolic trajectory However when the ball is thrown to curve and hit a target, (in the horizontal...
9. ### Tricky conceptual Projectile motion question

So far all I have determined is the equations of motion for the two and that is as follows. It is trivial that y(t)=v1sin(Q)t -gt^2/2 and that x(t)=v2cos(Q)t. Now the angle that is anticlockwise from the negative horizontal of the robber is 90 - Q using basic trigonometry, using this we can...
10. ### Show that a projectile lands at a distance ##R = \frac{2v_0^2 sin \theta cos(\theta + \phi)}{g cos^2 \phi}##

##V_x = V_0 cos \theta ## ##x = V_0 cos \theta t## ##V_y = V_0 cos \theta ## ##y = V_0 cos \theta t## ##F_x = m\ddot{x}## ##-mgsin \phi = m\ddot{x}## ##\dot{x} = -gtsin\phi + V_x## ##x = -\frac{1}{2} gt^2 sin \phi + V_x t## ##x = -\frac{1}{2} gt^2 sin \phi + v_0 cos\theta t## ##F_y =...

12. ### Projectile Intercept Math & Trigonometry

Looking for some guidance on how to set up the equations for a projectile intercept given that you have perfect information about the target velocity, size and weather conditions in a 3D scenario, it's for an amateur videogame that I'm developing in my spare time For simplicity sake let's...
13. ### 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 =...
14. ### Maximum range on ground for an elevated cannon

I sketch a diagram for the problem and show it to the right. My approach is going to be along the following lines : (1) Use the equation of motion in the ##x## direction to express the total time of flight ##T## as a function of the range and initial angle ##T = T(R, \theta_0)##. (2) Plug this...
15. ### Runge-Kutta Projectile Approximation From Initial Conditions

Hi everyone. I'm a new member, great to be here:) I have a few questions that I wanted to ask you guys regarding the method by which we implement the Runge-Kutta approximation of Projectile Motion if we should do it using a numerical iterative method with a Spreadsheet like Excel. I have...
16. ### Projectile motion in 2D

I know the conventional method for solving this question using the formula for maximum range of a projectile in an inclined plane, but since it is an objective problem, if we consider a non general case where α=0, then clearly we can see that (see attachment) only one option matches which...
17. ### Find the range of an object coming off an inclined plane

Hey Everyone, my physics teacher has assigned us a task which involves predicting the range of a ball falling down an inclined plane into a free-fall, the equation for the final velocity of the ball down the ramp, accounting for rotational velocity has been provided, this is the initial velocity...

19. ### Will the pebble meet with the block according to the given condition?

Question 1: I have used v= Aω*cos(ωt+δ) where A= 0.2 m, ω= π/3, t=1 and δ=0. Are the values right in this case? I am confused. Question 2: From question 1 I have got the value of V which is 9 m/s. By using v= ω√(A^2-x^2), I have got the value of x. Now, do I need to add it with 2.5(distance...
20. ### Maximum Distance a Projectile Moves Up an Inclined Plane

the red line is the initial velocity, the grey parabola is the path of the projectile. hi there...I'm kinda stuck at the part b of this problem. I can do part a with no problem. can anybody explain to me how to do the differentiation needed to solve part b?? by explain I mean explain the...
21. ### Projectile motion hw help please

I intended to finish the question with the equation of linear motion with constant acceleration, but it didn't work out. And I have no idea about the t^3 and t^4 of the position. How can I find the x component of the acceleration at time 3.4 s ? Where is the acceleration rate?
22. ### How do you find the initial velocity of a projectile given angle/distance?

I tried resolving the information given into vertical and horizontal components. I then tried to find time, as this is how I would find the initial velocity. However, I am unsure of how to use the angle in this problem to help solve it. I am also unsure of how to find the initial velocity only...
23. ### The Determination of the Launch Angle of a Projectile

Hi, I am new here to the forum and I am having trouble with a project that I am undertaking with some friends. We are trying to build a firefighting robot. I am trying to derive an expression to solve for the launch angle theta of the water so that at x (meters), the projectile will be at 0.33...
24. ### At what angle do we have to kick a ball up the hill for n-rebounds?

I decided to try and find a solution in a green (tilted) coordinate system. I started solving this problem with thinking about 1-rebound: ##⟹y=0, α=\text{angle under which we kick a ball}##; ##y=sin\alpha v_0t-\frac{1}{2}gt^2##; because I'm trying to solve this in a tilted system, I have to...
25. ### Projectile motion of a two-point rigid body

I would like to patch some gaps in my physics background. For example, I've been trying to come up with the sollution to the following: I have a model rigid body made up of two mass points and a massless rod connecting them. I throw the body with initial velocity under some angle of elevation...
26. ### Pendulum projectile problem

Tried to find time in seconds in order to use the formula d=vt and find the distance in the x plane in which the target must be placed, to no avail.
27. ### Comp Sci Ball rebounding off of a wall

My attempts involved using suvat equations to determine the rebound distance : S = 0.5 * (u + v)*t With u being 50 and v being 0 t being time taken to fall down (Height of impact / gravitational acceleration) t = 48.41 / 9.81 Plugging the numbers in gives S = 123.365m This is where i get...
28. ### Projectile Motion at an angle

Vx = 10cos(23) = 9.21m/s Vy = 10sin(23) = 3.91m/s -30 = 3.91t + 1/2(-9.8)t^2 0 = t(3.91 - 4.9t) + 30 4.9t = 33.91 t = 6.92s Delta X = 9.21(6.92) + 1/2(9.8)(6.92)^2 Delta X = 298.38m Vf^2 = 9.21 + 2(9.8)(298.38) Vf^2 = 5857.458 Vf = 76.53m/s
29. ### Need to find the spring constant to achieve Max Velocity

Hello All. I am mentoring a high school student in my area with his class project for school. He has chosen he wants to launch an object (in our case, a softball) into a 5' diameter area. The idea is to build basically an oversized slingshot using an extension spring as the source of energy. We...
30. ### Projectile Motion with Unknown Initial Height

First, I tried solving for the total time of flight, which I got as 100 = 5cos25*t --> t=22 s Since we know the height at which the object lands, but not at which it is launched, I tried setting up the equation as: yf = 40 - y0 = y0 + 5sin25*(22) - 1/2(9.8)(22)^2 However, I got y0 = 1183 m...
31. ### A golf ball being hit on the moon vs Earth

I am just not sure if I did this properly. My professor hasn't really gone over when to use the range equation but I would assume range would equal the distance traveled therefore can be used for this problem. If not the how would I go about solving this? I did 1/6*9.8=1.63 for g on the moon...
32. ### Project Motion/Trigonometry Question

My reasoning and answer is wrong, but I cannot figure out why. Perhaps it is strange, perhaps not, but I want to figure out why my initial method of solving this problem did yield an incorrect answer. I began by creating an equation and drawing a right triangle. x is the horizontal part of...
33. ### How does the release angle of a catapult affect the object's velocity?

[Moderator: repeated text removed.]
34. ### How to find the max height a projectile can reach on a hillside

Here's a fully typed version of the problem with a diagram My attempt: Given the angle of the hill, I know that the horizontal displacement of the arrow and my vertical height on the hill are related by ##Δx=d+\frac h {Tan(60)}## ...(1) where d is the distance of the enemy from the base...
35. ### Impact of several variables on resulting projectile motion trajectory

I was told to generate these variables (m, C, alpha, wind velocity) normally distributed and compare the random data with the result and then tell, which of the variables has the most impact. Here I am stuck, tried to compare variances, kurtosis and skewness of the data (the original variables...
36. ### Projectile Motion: Path's length?

So I just learned about projectile motion. I understand why you can study it as two independent straight line motions . But this can give you a way to calculate total velocities or accelerations, just by adding its individual component of each vector. If the initial position of the projectile...
37. ### Projectile Motion Experimental Error

Homework Statement I got an experimental vertical acceleration of -12 m/s^2 of projectile motion for an experiment I did at home where I just had to throw a ball at around 45 degree to the horizontal up in the air and record it's motion, then analyze the motion via computer software. Obviously...
38. ### Boomerang Problem, need help solving it

Homework Statement A boomerang is thrown with an initial linear velocity of 5 m/s at an angle of 30 degrees vertically. The initial angular velocity is ##2\frac{revolutions}{s}## At its peak, it has a displacement about the z axis of 2 meters and about the x axis of 10 meters. The force applied...
39. ### Need to find final Height, Equation not Working

Homework Statement Homework Equations The kinematic equations--namely, Sf = S0 + V0Δt The Attempt at a Solution [/B] I am a bit confused as it seems this problem is very straight-forward. My known variables: X0 = 0m Y0 = 1.7m Δt = 3.92s V0 = 29m/s Θ = 60ο Yf = ? So, I just use the above...
40. ### Projectile Motion: Pitcher throwing a ball to a catcher

Homework Statement determine the acute angle (in radians) of appropriate elevation in the throwing of a ball, if the initial velocity is 20 m / s, g=9.81 m/s^2 and the distance in x is 40m. The ball leaves the hand of the pitcher with an elevation equal to 1.8m and the catcher receives it at...
41. ### AP Physics C Momentum Problem: A dart launched horizonally by a spring gun

Homework Statement A boy launches a 20 g dart horizontally by a spring gun from a balcony 45 m above the ground. The dart lands 15 m away from the balcony. If the length of the gun’s barrel is 10 cm, what is the average horizontal force applied by the spring? (A) 1.0N (B) 2.0 N (C) 2.5 N...
42. ### Why Vertical Velocity changes & Horizontal does not?

Projectile motion involves velocity in vertical and horizontal direction. It is important to understand that the two are independent of each other. Solving problems becomes much easier with this simple understanding.
43. ### Varying Gravity and Air Resistance in projectile motion

Salutations, I have been trying to approach a case about projectile motion considering variation of gravity acceleration and air resistance: A spherical baseball with mass "m" is hit with inclination angle $\theta$ and launching velocity $v_0$, then, the wind has a drag force equals to ##F=kv##...
44. ### Meaning of a phrase in a kinematics problem

1. Problem statement: "An object is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 10 m/s. How far will it drop in 4 seconds?" Homework Equations Δx = v0x.t Δy = v0y.t + 1/2(-g)t2 The Attempt at a Solution [/B] When I first read it, I thought that 'how far' means Δx, since when someone says...
45. ### Calculating spring constant of a spring loaded cannon

Homework Statement if you wanted to build a spring launched cannon that will shoot you over a building that is 35 m high and 30 m wide, and the cannon is being shot at 60 degrees. If the cannon can be no more than 2 m long, what spring constant do you need in the spring to make this work? here...
46. ### Where on the hill does the projectile land?

Homework Statement A projectile is shot at a hill, the base of which is 320 m away. The projectile is shot at 60° above the horizontal with an initial speed of 79 m/s. The hill can be approximated by a plane sloped at 19° to the horizontal. The equation of the straight line forming the hill is...
47. ### What is conceptual physics?

I have been wondering, what is conceptual physics? I remember taking a class in high school that was physics oriented, for example two trains leave a station at different speeds, and arrive at a central point, where do they overlap. Also there were trig functions on how to find the height of a...
48. ### Using the Vy versus t graph to determine the y-component of the acceleration of the puck

Homework Statement We had a lab on projectile motion and one of the questions was this: Use your Vy versus t graph to determine the y-component of the acceleration of the puck. Should this be equal to the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s)? Explain why it is or why it is not. The...
49. ### Projectile motion: Two objects are kicked upward at different angles...

Homework Statement Two objects are kicked upward at different angles. Object A travels a greater horizontal distance than object B. Both reach the same maximum height. Which of the following statements about the objects are true? You may select more than one. 1.Object A is in the air for a...
50. ### How to get R= 2 ( square root ) h1h2

Problem : A ball is let down a ramp on top of a table with initial velocity of 0 ms-1. When it reaches the end of the ramp, it is launched horizontally. Knowing that we don’t take air resistance or friction into account, and that the height of the ramp is h1, and that of the table is h2...