How Fast Must the Runner Sprint to Beat the Baseball to Home Plate?

[hmcaldwell01]

Need help with Physics problem!

Homework Statement

In a baseball game, the right fielder flawlessly fields the baseball and throws to the catcher who is trying to tag a base runner and prevent a score. The right fielder is approximately 300 feet from home plate and throws the ball at an angle of 30° above horizontal. The catcher catches the ball on the fly exactly 1.7 m below the height from which it was thrown. Assuming the runner is 20m from home plate when the right fielder throws the ball, with what constant velocity will he have to run to just make it to home plate before the catcher catches the ball?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 

[jedishrfu]

Ahh, you have a whole list of problems to solve.

We need to see your work before we can help.

Draw a picture of the situation and then develop some eons.

Convert everything to meters ie 300 ft to x meters.

So it looks like the rt fielder throws the ball and the catcher catches it on the ground to explain the 1.7m difference in height.

1) so first using the vertical component of the velocity, the 9.8 m/s^2 gravitational acceleration and the 1.7m above the ground initial starting pt you have to determine when the ball will hit the ground.

2) Having found the time you can then determine the base runner's speed because he has to get on base just before the catcher catches the ball. You have the dist 20m and you have the time from part 1.

 

[hmcaldwell01]

Thank you very much for your reply. I think I will be able to solve the problem by making my initial position 1.7 meters above the ground. That is what I was doing wrong. Thanks again!