Need help finishing off the last bit for a projectile trajectory problem

In summary, the conversation discusses the problem of solving the equations of motion for a projectile fired with an initial speed and angle of elevation, taking into account quadratic air resistance and terminal velocity. Using MATLAB, the differential equations are solved for specific values and the trajectory of the projectile is plotted, compared to the trajectory without air resistance. The equations and MATLAB code are provided as well.
  • #1
Hoppa
38
0
this is the problem:


A projectile is fired with an initial speed u and at an angle of elevation ®. The air
resistance is known to be quadratic and the terminal velocity has a magnitude vt. Show
that the equations of motion for the projectile can be cast into the form
y' = f (t; y); t >= 0

Using MATLAB solve the differential equations for an initial speed of 200 ms¡1,
an angle of elevation of 45± and a terminal velocity of 250 ms¡1. Plot the trajectory of
the projectile and, on the same graph, plot the trajectory that the projectile would have
in the absence of air resistance. Use a time range that allows both trajectories to at least
return to their initial height, without going significantly beyond that position.
 
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  • #2
and here is what I've got so far..

Initial speed = m
Angle of elevation = a

y = é x ù é vx ù é 0 ù
| vx ô , f(t,y) = | -gvt-2vx Övx2 + vz2 | , y(0) = | m cos a |
| z | | vz | | 0 |
ë vz û ë -g(1 + vt-2vzÖvx2 + vz2 û ë m sin a û

Where x and z are the horizontal and vertical coordinates and vx and vz are the corresponding velocities.

The position of the projectile at time t is given by:

x = (m cos a ) t ( 1 – e–t/t )

y = -gvtt + t (m sin a + gvt) (1 – e–t/t )

Where gvt is the magnitute of the terminal velocity.


Matlab code

global vterm tau v0y
g = 9.8;
vterm = 250;
tau = vterm/g;
v0 = 200;
alpha = 45;
time = 0:2:50
range = time;
n = length(time);
for i = 1:n
angle = alpha(i)*pi/180;
v0x = v0*cos(angle);
v0y = v0*sin(angle);
time = fzero(’yproject’,[10;50]);
range(i) = v0x*tau*(1-exp(-time/tau));
end
plot(alpha, range);
xlabel(’Elevation (degrees)’);
ylabel(’Range (metres)’);
which also uses the MATLAB function:
function ypos = yproject(t)
global vterm tau v0y
ypos = -vterm*t + tau*(v0y+vterm)*(1-exp(-t/tau));
 
  • #3

To solve this problem, we need to first understand the equations of motion for a projectile with quadratic air resistance. These equations can be derived from the basic principles of motion and are given by:

x' = u cos(θ) - (k/m)vx|vx|
y' = u sin(θ) - g - (k/m)vy|vy|

where x and y are the position coordinates, u is the initial speed, θ is the angle of elevation, k is a constant related to air resistance, m is the mass of the projectile, vx and vy are the velocities in the x and y directions respectively, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

We can rewrite these equations in terms of the time derivative of the position coordinates, denoted by x' and y', which gives us:

x'' = - (k/m)vx|vx|
y'' = - g - (k/m)vy|vy|

Now, we can use MATLAB to solve these differential equations numerically. We start by defining the variables and constants:

u = 200; % initial speed in m/s
θ = 45*pi/180; % angle of elevation in radians
vt = 250; % terminal velocity in m/s
k = 0.01; % air resistance constant
m = 1; % mass of the projectile in kg
g = 9.8; % acceleration due to gravity in m/s^2

Next, we define the differential equations in terms of MATLAB's anonymous function notation:

f = @(t,y) [y(3); y(4); -(k/m)*y(3)*abs(y(3)); -g-(k/m)*y(4)*abs(y(4))];

Here, y(1) and y(2) represent the x and y coordinates respectively, while y(3) and y(4) represent the velocities in the x and y directions respectively.

Finally, we can use MATLAB's built-in ode45 function to solve the differential equations and plot the trajectories:

[t,y] = ode45(f, [0 10], [0 0 u*cos(θ) u*sin(θ)]); % time range is chosen as 0 to 10 seconds
plot(y(:,1), y(:,2)); % plot the trajectory with air resistance
hold on
plot(u*cos(θ)*t, u*sin(θ)*t - 0.5*g
 

1. How do I calculate the final velocity of a projectile?

To calculate the final velocity of a projectile, you will need to use the formula v = u + at, where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time. You can also use this formula to calculate the final velocity in the x and y directions separately.

2. What is the equation for projectile motion?

The equation for projectile motion is y = y0 + v0y*t + 1/2*a*t^2, where y is the final vertical position, y0 is the initial vertical position, v0y is the initial vertical velocity, a is the vertical acceleration, and t is the time. This equation can be used to calculate the position of a projectile at any given time.

3. How do I find the range of a projectile?

To find the range of a projectile, you can use the equation range = (v0x^2*sin(2θ))/g, where v0x is the initial horizontal velocity, θ is the launch angle, and g is the gravitational acceleration. This equation will give you the horizontal distance traveled by the projectile.

4. What is the difference between a projectile's range and its maximum height?

The range of a projectile refers to the horizontal distance it travels before hitting the ground, while the maximum height refers to the highest point the projectile reaches in its trajectory. The two values will be different because the projectile will follow a parabolic path, reaching its maximum height before falling back down to the ground.

5. Can I use the same equations for projectile motion on Earth and on other planets?

No, the equations for projectile motion are specific to the gravitational acceleration of the planet or celestial body. On different planets, the value of g will be different, and therefore, the equations will need to be adjusted accordingly.

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