How Do You Calculate the Physics of a Horseshoe Pitch?

[Winglifter]

Homework Statement

During a game of horseshoes , you successfully toss a "ringer"--your horseshoe completely encircling the stake at the end of the court just as it hits the ground 40 feet away. Being a rather analytical player, after the game you decide you want to understand the details of your amazing pitch so that you can train yourself to recreate it in future practices and games. Watching a video of your toss, you observe that from the time the horseshoe left your hand to the time it landed took 1.75 seconds. You kept your arm straight during the entire wind-up leading to the toss, steadily moving the horseshoe through a circular arc and releasing it after 0.75 seconds from a height of about 5.00 feet above the ground. Your arm length happens to be about 23.5 inches.

A) How fast was the horseshoe going when you released it?

B) At what angle relative to the horizontal direction did you release the horseshoe?

C) What was the magnitude of the horseshoe's acceleration as you were swinging it in your pitch?

D) How much of an angle did you swing your arm through as you tossed the horseshoe?

Homework Equations

How do I even begin this thing? I'm so lost...

The Attempt at a Solution

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I'm having trouble even visualizing in my head let alone drawing it at this point.

 

[phinds]

How is it that you have been given a homework problem that you do not even have a clue how to solve? What level are you in in school? Do you have a text?

 

[Winglifter]

How is it that you have been given a homework problem that you do not even have a clue how to solve? What level are you in in school? Do you have a text?

The textbook doesn't coincide with the lectures so it's a bit of a blur. Plus all the snow days in the Northeast have set us back on track in lecture.

 

[jbriggs444]

If you treat it as a projectile problem from the time the horseshoe leaves your hand until it hits the ground, what relevant bits of information do you have?

 

[Winglifter]

If you treat it as a projectile problem from the time the horseshoe leaves your hand until it hits the ground, what relevant bits of information do you have?

Thank you. I'll try this.