- #1
chimpfunkz
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Homework Statement
A cat and a baby are launched from skeet traps on opposite sides of the
Grand Canyon, which are at the same height and a distance ℓ apart. The
cat is launched horizontally at speed (v0/√2), the baby at initial speed v0 at
an angle of (pi/4) above the horizontal. By amazing good luck, it happens that
the cat and baby collide in midair.
For a collision to occur, the cat and the baby must have been launched at different times.
determine the time difference between the launching of the cat and the launching of the baby.
Homework Equations
x(t)=v0*cos(θ)*t
y(t)=v0*sin(θ)*t-[gt^2]/2
The Attempt at a Solution
I set up the equations so that h is equal for both the baby and the cat, with the baby flying for t+tprime seconds, and the cat flying for t seconds. However, this left me with a long, unsimplifiable equation. Next I tried to find h, the height at which they collide, and use that to find the distance L where they do collide. However, this left me with the problem of the gravity, which I couldn't resolve. If anyone could give me a direction of where to go, or how to set up the equations themselves, that is all I really need, and maybe even a general direction of how to proceed with the problem.
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