Mastering Projectile Motion: Speed, Distance, and Calculations

In summary, the conversation covers various physics problems involving speed, gravity, and projectile motion. The maximum possible speed of an object falling to the Earth due to gravity is equal to the change in its potential energy. The speed of a ball thrown horizontally from a cliff can be calculated one second later by adding the initial horizontal speed and the change in vertical speed. For an airplane flying horizontally, the height and horizontal distance of a falling engine can be determined by neglecting air resistance. The engine is directly below the plane at the moment of impact. In a lab experiment, the speed of a ball launched horizontally can be used to calculate the position for catching the ball when it lands. In another scenario, the speed at which John and Tracy would need to
  • #1
PhysicsHelpPlz
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1. 1) What is the maximum possible speed of impact upon the surface of the Earth for a faraway body initially at rest that falls to the Earth by virtue of the Earth's gravity only?

2) A ball is thrown horizontally from a cliff at a speed of 11 m/s. What is its speed one second later?

3) An airplane is flying horizontally with speed 1000 km/h (280 m/s) when an engine falls off.
(a) Neglecting air resistance, if it takes 30 s for the engine to hit the ground how high is the airplane?

(b) If it takes 30 s for the engine to fall how far horizontally does the engine travel while it falls?

(c) If the airplane somehow continues to fly as if nothing had happened, where is the engine relative to the airplane at the moment the engine hits the ground?

(multiple choice)
a) directly below the plane
b) in front of the plane
c) behind the plane

4) Students in lab measure the speed of a steel ball launched horizontally from a table top to be 3.4 m/s. If the table top is 1.5 m above the floor, where should they place a 20 cm tall tin coffee can to catch the ball when it lands?

5) John and Tracy look from their 71 m high-rise balcony to a swimming pool below - not exactly below, but rather 17 m out from the bottom of their building. They wonder how fast they would have to jump horizontally to succeed in reaching the pool. What is the answer?

6) Ignoring air drag, what is the maximum speed possible for a horizontally-moving tennis ball as it clears the net 1.5 m high and strikes within the court's border, 12.0 m distant.

7) Calculate the speed in m/s at which the Earth revolves about the sun. You may assume the orbit is nearly circular.

8) A satellite is about 1.8 103 km from the (center of the) Earth. Find its average orbital speed about the Earth.




2. I'm sorry but i don't know, that's why I'm so confused, these were on www.webassign.com I don't know what formulas to use...



3. umm... I'm sorry, i don't want this deleated, i have no clue how to solve it... I've been trying and I'm sooo lost, oh and it's due in less then an hour so i dotn know what to do, could someone explain this to me??
 
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  • #2
You really must show some work. It is the rules. You can't be COMPLETELY lost on every one?

Some hints to help you along your way:

1) Consider the change in poetential energy for an object very far away( at infinity) that hits the earth. This must equal the change in kinetic energy correct?

2) Speed in x direction won't change, find the new y speed and ten add the vectors.

3) a)Worry only about the y motion.

b) answer from a) is needed

c) what is the horizontal acceleration
4)5)6) All three are projectile motion problems. consider the horizontal and vertical motion separately.
7) See number 8
8) Force of gravity = Centripetal Force

This should help get you started. I'm sorry but it is our policy not to DO HOMEWORK for someone. Considering this rule, I'll give you these hints. They should help get you started.

Good Luck!
 
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  • #3
thanks for the help, and i am lost on all of these, i started with 26 questions, these were the ones i couldn't get
 
  • #4
No problem...I added some more small hints...
 
  • #5
help

G01 said:
You really must show some work. It is the rules. You can't be COMPLETELY lost on every one?

Ignoring air drag, what is the maximum speed possible for a horizontally moving tennis ball as it clears the net 1.0 m high and strikes within the court's border, 12.0 m distance?
 

1. What is projectile motion?

Projectile motion is the motion of an object that is launched or thrown and moves through the air under the influence of gravity. It follows a curved path known as a parabola.

2. What factors affect projectile motion?

The factors that affect projectile motion include the initial velocity, angle of launch, air resistance, and the force of gravity.

3. How is the trajectory of a projectile calculated?

The trajectory of a projectile can be calculated using the equations of motion, which take into account the initial velocity, angle of launch, and acceleration due to gravity. Other factors such as air resistance can also be incorporated into more complex calculations.

4. What is the difference between horizontal and vertical projectile motion?

Horizontal projectile motion refers to the motion of an object moving horizontally with a constant velocity, while vertical projectile motion refers to the motion of an object moving vertically under the influence of gravity. In both cases, the object follows a parabolic path, but the horizontal motion has no acceleration while the vertical motion has a constant acceleration due to gravity.

5. How is projectile motion used in real life?

Projectile motion is used in various fields such as sports, engineering, and physics. For example, in sports like basketball and soccer, the trajectory of the ball follows projectile motion. In engineering, projectile motion is used to design and test objects like rockets and missiles. In physics, projectile motion is used to study the effects of gravity on objects in motion.

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