Differential equation for projectile

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on modeling a differential equation for projectile motion influenced by gravity and wind. The user seeks to establish a basic differential equation for projectile motion under gravity, which simplifies to d²x/dt² = 0 and d²y/dt² = -g. They also aim to incorporate wind and drag forces, leading to a more complex model represented by d²x/dt² = -g - ω((dx/dt)² + (dy/dt)²) and d²y/dt² = -g - ω((dx/dt)² + (dy/dt)²). The user expresses a need for resources to better understand the modeling aspect of these equations.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics principles, particularly Newton's laws of motion.
  • Familiarity with differential equations and their applications in motion modeling.
  • Knowledge of parametric equations and their role in 2D motion simulations.
  • Basic understanding of drag force and its mathematical representation.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study "Differential Equations and Their Applications" by Martin Braun for modeling techniques.
  • Research the effects of drag force on projectile motion in "Physics for Scientists and Engineers" by Serway and Jewett.
  • Explore numerical methods for solving differential equations using tools like MATLAB or Python's SciPy library.
  • Investigate advanced projectile motion simulations incorporating wind resistance and drag in computational physics resources.
USEFUL FOR

Students and professionals in physics, engineering, and applied mathematics who are interested in modeling projectile motion under varying forces, as well as developers working on simulation algorithms for motion dynamics.

Feeh
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I want to model a Differential Equation for a projectile motion under 2 forces (gravity and wind)

So, what I have now is an algorithm that simulate the parametric motion (2d) of the project under those 2 forces (given a P position of the projectile with velocity V under a vector of forces F (or acceleration as my projectiles have no mass), find a new position for each time T)
(Link to the motion simulation example: http://s12.postimg.org/wbr8tyej1/projectile.png)

I want to model it as a differential equation. If possible with these variants:

1- basic differential equation projectile motion with no wind, just gravity...the quadratic equation from basic physics should be the solution to it

2- the "complete" form with wind and gravity as I described

3- add drag force. I know that the equation may have no solution

I've learned to solve them but not to model them; if you could give me or point a good textbook that show how to model it I'd be glad
 
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Feeh said:
I want to model a Differential Equation for a projectile motion under 2 forces (gravity and wind)

So, what I have now is an algorithm that simulate the parametric motion (2d) of the project under those 2 forces (given a P position of the projectile with velocity V under a vector of forces F (or acceleration as my projectiles have no mass), find a new position for each time T)
(Link to the motion simulation example: http://s12.postimg.org/wbr8tyej1/projectile.png)

I want to model it as a differential equation. If possible with these variants:

1- basic differential equation projectile motion with no wind, just gravity...the quadratic equation from basic physics should be the solution to it
So the only force is gravity- since "F= ma" and the force due to gravity is mg, mg= ma, a= g, a constant. The differential equations are d^2x/dt^2= 0 since there is no force horizontally and d^2y/dt^2= -g vertically

2- the "complete" form with wind and gravity as I described

3- add drag force. I know that the equation may have no solution
These two are a lot the same. The force the wind applies is a form of "drag". The one thing to do is to model it as a quadratic function of the speed, \omega v^2= \omega (v_x^2+ v_y^2)= \omega((dx/dt)^2+ (dy/dt)^2). That would give d^2x/dt^2= -g- \omega ((dx/dt)^2+ (dy/dt)^2), d^2y/dt^2= -g- \omega ((dx/dt)^2+ (dy/dt)^2).

I've learned to solve them but not to model them; if you could give me or point a good textbook that show how to model it I'd be glad
 
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Using your example I was able to see how to reach the first example (only gravity) and found the quadratic equation as solution

However I had no time to test the second example (gravity+wind) in fact I did not get the general idea, maybe I'm not seeing something but here is what I've found based on my simulation algorithm and your first example

y(t)=y_i + v*t*sin(\beta) - \frac{1}{2}y''(t)*t^2 + w*t^2*sin(\alpha)
x(t)=x_i + v*t*cos(\beta) + w*t^2*cos(\alpha)
position_y = velocity*time - gravity*t^2 + wind*t^2
position_x = velocity*time + wind*t^2

where:
x(t) and y(t) are the projectile position at any given time t
v is the initial velocity of the projectile at launch
β is the launch angle
α is the wind acceleration angle
w is the wind acceleration
xi, yi are the initial positions on a 2d space

This lead me to some other questions:
-Since its me who gives the launch speed (known values), my approach to use them as v and angle β instead of x'(t) and y'(t)? I'm assuming this approach will remove the initial value problem

-The general idea, seems to be correct?
 
Last edited:

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