Can You Calculate the Landing Point of a Ball on a Roof?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jutman1776
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Forces Homework
Click For Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the landing point of a ball launched at an angle from a distance away from a building. The initial launch speed was determined to be 18.11 m/s, and the ball clears the building wall by 1.89 m. For the horizontal distance to the landing point on the roof, the user seeks an alternative method to the quadratic equation, focusing on using the final y-component of velocity. The final y-component of velocity was calculated to be 26.76 m/s, but there is confusion regarding the vertical displacement used in this calculation. The conversation emphasizes problem-solving strategies in projectile motion.
jutman1776
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Homework help needed!

the problem is stated as follows:
A playground is on the flat roof of a city school, 5.1 m above the street below (see figure). The vertical wall of the building is h = 6.20 m high, to form a 1.1-m-high railing around the playground. A ball has fallen to the street below, and a passerby returns it by launching it at an angle of θ = 53.0° above the horizontal at a point d = 24.0 m from the base of the building wall. The ball takes 2.20 s to reach a point vertically above the wall.

(a) Find the speed at which the ball was launched. (18.11 m/s)
(b) Find the vertical distance by which the ball clears the wall. (1.89)
(c) Find the horizontal distance from the wall to the point on the roof where the ball lands.

the answer to A) i got by V=d/t or v= 24 m/2.2 s and got 10.90 m/s then I divided 10.90/cos(53) and got the initial velocity of 18.11 m/s.
B) i did displacement of y=voyt-1/2gt2 or Δy= (14.46 m/s)(2.2 s)-1/2(9.80 m/s2)(2.2)2 and got 8.09 m/s then i subtracted that from the height of the building so 8.09 m/s-6.20 m= 1.89 m

C) this is where I am stumped i know you can use the quadratic equation but would like to learn the way in which you can use two different equations to bypass that. I just have no clue where to start.

thanks for the help in advance!,
Justin
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Hello, jutman1776. Welcome to PF!

Can you figure out the y-component of velocity when the ball lands on the roof without first finding the time?
 
i did solve for the v-component as well which is 14.46 m/s
 
jutman1776 said:
i did solve for the v-component as well which is 14.46 m/s

That's the initial y-component of velocity. Can you find the final y-component of velocity at the instant the ball strikes the roof? Most textbooks will derive a formula that relates final velocity to initial velocity, acceleration, and displacement and does not contain the time. See if you can use this formula to determine the final y-component of velocity.
 
i used vy2=voy2+2ayΔy or Vy2=(14.46 m/s2)+2(-9.80 m/s)(25.89m) and got 26.76 m
 
jutman1776 said:
i used vy2=voy2+2ayΔy or Vy2=(14.46 m/s2)+2(-9.80 m/s)(25.89m) and got 26.76 m

How did you get Δy = 25.89m?
 
The book claims the answer is that all the magnitudes are the same because "the gravitational force on the penguin is the same". I'm having trouble understanding this. I thought the buoyant force was equal to the weight of the fluid displaced. Weight depends on mass which depends on density. Therefore, due to the differing densities the buoyant force will be different in each case? Is this incorrect?

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
6K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
3
Views
10K
Replies
2
Views
4K
Replies
12
Views
3K
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
6K
Replies
3
Views
4K