Dynamics - Relative Motion Help?

In summary: I was thinking maybe I should place it at the point where the duffel bag touches the conveyor belt.In summary, the problem involves determining the velocity of a duffel bag relative to a conveyor belt as it lands on the belt. The angle and speed of the conveyor belt and the initial velocity and angle of the bag are given. Using equations for x and y components, the final distance and time are calculated. To find the relative velocity, the x and y components of the final velocity are determined and then subtracted from the velocity of the belt.
  • #1
Khamul
24
0

Homework Statement


Conveyor belt A, which forms a 20° angle with the horizontal, moves at a constant speed of 4 ft/s and is used to load an airplane. Knowing that a worker tosses duffel bag B with an initial velocity of 2.5 ft/s at an angle of 30° with the horizontal, determine the velocity of the bag relative to the belt as it lands on the belt.

Homework Equations


Vi,x = Vi*cos([tex]\theta[/tex])
Vi,y = Vi*sin([tex]\theta[/tex])
(xf-xi) =Vi,x*t
(yf-yi) =Vi,y*t - (1/2)*g*t2
rB = rA+rB/A
vB = vA+vB/A
aB = aA+aB/A

The Attempt at a Solution


I think I've gotten the majority of this problem tackled, so I will list what I have done (as I am highly likely to have done something wrong.) As you can see from the picture below, a linear equation (I think?) is required out of the conveyor belt, so that is the first thing I did.

We know that to make a right triangle with the belt, one side is 90, we're given 20, so the final angle is 70. For pure relations' sake to find a slope, I set the bottom length equal to 10, used tan(20)=opp/10, and found the rise/run to be 3.64/10 which came out to be a slope of .364.

I also set my origin at the location of the duffel bag, which was 1.5 feet above the starting location of the conveyor belt line. So, for my linear equation, I found y=.364x-1.5

Then from there, (I think this is right?) I subbed my xf and yf equations into my linear equation. I was then faced with a quadratic, which, when solved for t, I found t=.3209 s. Fast forwarding a bit more after this I found my final x and y distances.

My x final distance was .6947 ft, while my y final distance was -1.2465 ft.

And...this is where I taper off. I am unsure how to proceed next. I know my final distances, the time it took to hit the conveyor belt...but I am not sure how to relate all of this to find the relative velocity of the bag to the belt.

Could anyone spare some help? I would greatly appreciate it! :smile:

4. F.B.D.
2d14k5c.jpg
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Hi Khamul! :smile:
Khamul said:
My x final distance was .6947 ft, while my y final distance was -1.2465 ft.

And...this is where I taper off. I am unsure how to proceed next. I know my final distances, the time it took to hit the conveyor belt...but I am not sure how to relate all of this to find the relative velocity of the bag to the belt.

now you need to find the x and y components of the final velocity

to find the relative velocity, you then just subtract the velocity components of the belt :wink:

btw, why did you do all this, instead of simply saying tan20° = 0.364 ? :confused:
We know that to make a right triangle with the belt, one side is 90, we're given 20, so the final angle is 70. For pure relations' sake to find a slope, I set the bottom length equal to 10, used tan(20)=opp/10, and found the rise/run to be 3.64/10 which came out to be a slope of .364.
 
  • #3
tiny-tim said:
Hi Khamul! :smile:


now you need to find the x and y components of the final velocity

to find the relative velocity, you then just subtract the velocity components of the belt :wink:

btw, why did you do all this, instead of simply saying tan20° = 0.364 ? :confused:

Goood morning tiny-tim, thanks for getting around to helping me so early!:smile:

Huh. Well hey, look at that! I learned something new about slopes, thank you! Also, thank you for steering me in the right direction :smile: I was burned out between this and thermodynamics by midnight last night!
 
  • #4
I am actually working on this problem right now and my question for you is where did you place you axis in this problem?
 
  • #5
of the duffel bag:To find the relative velocity of the bag to the belt, we need to consider the velocities of both the bag and the belt. The bag's velocity includes both its initial velocity and the velocity it gains from being thrown at an angle. The belt's velocity is constant at 4 ft/s.

Using the equations listed in the problem, we can find the x and y components of the bag's initial velocity:

Vi,x = 2.5 ft/s * cos(30°) = 2.165 ft/s
Vi,y = 2.5 ft/s * sin(30°) = 1.25 ft/s

To find the bag's final velocity, we can use the equation vB = vA + vB/A, where vA is the velocity of the belt and vB/A is the velocity of the bag relative to the belt. We know that vA = 4 ft/s, so we can plug in the values we found for the x and y components of the bag's initial velocity:

vB = 4 ft/s + 2.165 ft/s * i + 1.25 ft/s * j

where i and j are unit vectors in the x and y directions, respectively.

To find the magnitude and direction of the bag's final velocity, we can use the Pythagorean theorem and the inverse tangent function:

|vB| = sqrt((4 ft/s)^2 + (2.165 ft/s)^2 + (1.25 ft/s)^2) = 4.68 ft/s
θ = tan^-1(1.25 ft/s / 2.165 ft/s) = 30.2°

Therefore, the final velocity of the bag relative to the belt is 4.68 ft/s at an angle of 30.2° above the horizontal.
 

1. What is relative motion?

Relative motion is the study of the motion of objects in relation to each other. It takes into account the different velocities and positions of objects in order to determine their relative motion.

2. How is relative motion different from absolute motion?

Absolute motion refers to the motion of an object in relation to a fixed point, such as the ground or a stationary observer. Relative motion, on the other hand, takes into account the motion of one object in relation to another moving object.

3. What is the difference between relative velocity and relative acceleration?

Relative velocity is the rate of change of the position of one object with respect to another moving object, while relative acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity of one object with respect to another moving object. In simpler terms, relative velocity measures how fast the distance between two objects is changing, while relative acceleration measures how fast the velocity of one object is changing with respect to another object.

4. How does the concept of relative motion apply to real-life situations?

Relative motion is applicable in many real-life situations, such as when driving a car on a highway with other cars moving at different speeds, or when tracking the movement of a satellite relative to the Earth. It also helps in understanding the motion of objects in the universe, such as planets orbiting around the Sun.

5. How can I calculate relative motion?

To calculate relative motion, you need to know the velocities and positions of the objects in question. You can use vector addition and subtraction to determine the relative velocity and acceleration between two objects. Additionally, you can use mathematical equations, such as the formula for relative velocity (Vab = Vb - Va) and the formula for relative acceleration (Aab = Ab - Aa), to calculate the relative motion between two objects.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
1K
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
227
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
6K
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
6
Views
881
Replies
14
Views
1K
  • Engineering and Comp Sci Homework Help
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
5
Views
2K
Back
Top