Projectile Motion problem involving air resistance

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a projectile motion problem that incorporates air resistance, specifically focusing on calculating the total horizontal distance traveled by the projectile before it lands. The problem includes parameters such as mass, air resistance coefficient, and launch angle.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the dynamics of the problem by separating it into x and y components. There are attempts to derive equations for motion under the influence of air resistance, with some participants questioning the validity of these equations and the assumptions made regarding the force of air resistance.

Discussion Status

There is ongoing dialogue about the correct interpretation of air resistance and its application in the equations. Some participants suggest numerical methods for solving the differential equations, while others raise concerns about missing initial conditions and the implications of those omissions on the problem's specification.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the original poster did not specify an initial speed, which is crucial for solving the problem. Additionally, there is a discussion about the nature of the air resistance force and its representation in vector form.

Adrsya Rupam
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Homework Statement


Ok, so I am attempting to solve a projectile motion problem involving air resistance that requires me to find the total x-distance the projectile traverses before landing again.

Given:
<br /> \\<br /> m=0.7\text{kg}<br /> \\<br /> k=0.01 \frac{\text{kg}}{\text{m}}<br /> \\<br /> \theta=30 \degree<br />

Homework Equations


F_{air}=kv^2

The Attempt at a Solution


I divided the dynamics of the problem into x-component and y-component equations:
From F_{x}=-kv_x^2, I got:
x\left(t\right)=\frac{m}{k}\ln \left(kv_it-m\sec \theta \right)

I divided the y-component of the motion into two parts--going up and going down:
I used F_{y1}=-mg-kv_y^2 for the going up part, and I used F_{y2}=-mg+kv_y^2
solving the differential equation for the going up part, I got:
v_y\left(t\right)=\sqrt{\frac{mg}{k}}\tan \left(\arctan \left(v_{yi}\sqrt{\frac{k}{mg}}\right)-t\sqrt{\frac{g}{m}}\right) -- which is where I am stuck on... because when I plugged in my given values, the graph doesn't look right as its t-intercept is greater than one which is found from solving this kinematically without air resistance.
solving the differential equation for v_y(t) of the going down part and integrating it, I got:
y\left(t\right)=-\frac{m}{k}\ln \left(\cosh \left(t\sqrt{\frac{gk}{m}}\right)\right)+y_i

Can someone help me solve this problem?
 
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Adrsya Rupam said:

Homework Statement


Ok, so I am attempting to solve a projectile motion problem involving air resistance that requires me to find the total x-distance the projectile traverses before landing again.

Given:
<br /> \\<br /> m=0.7\text{kg}<br /> \\<br /> k=0.01 \frac{\text{kg}}{\text{m}}<br /> \\<br /> \theta=30 \degree<br />

Homework Equations


F_{air}=kv^2

The Attempt at a Solution


I divided the dynamics of the problem into x-component and y-component equations:
From F_{x}=-kv_x^2, I got:
x\left(t\right)=\frac{m}{k}\ln \left(kv_it-m\sec \theta \right)

I divided the y-component of the motion into two parts--going up and going down:
I used F_{y1}=-mg-kv_y^2 for the going up part, and I used F_{y2}=-mg+kv_y^2solving the differential equation for the going up part, I got:
v_y\left(t\right)=\sqrt{\frac{mg}{k}}\tan \left(\arctan \left(v_{yi}\sqrt{\frac{k}{mg}}\right)-t\sqrt{\frac{g}{m}}\right) -- which is where I am stuck on... because when I plugged in my given values, the graph doesn't look right as its t-intercept is greater than one which is found from solving this kinematically without air resistance.
solving the differential equation for v_y(t) of the going down part and integrating it, I got:
y\left(t\right)=-\frac{m}{k}\ln \left(\cosh \left(t\sqrt{\frac{gk}{m}}\right)\right)+y_i

Can someone help me solve this problem?
No, this is not correct. The force of air resistance is opposite to the velocity vector and its magnitude is proportional to v2. v2 is a scalar, it does not have components.
 
Adrsya Rupam said:

Homework Statement


Ok, so I am attempting to solve a projectile motion problem involving air resistance that requires me to find the total x-distance the projectile traverses before landing again.

Given:
<br /> \\<br /> m=0.7\text{kg}<br /> \\<br /> k=0.01 \frac{\text{kg}}{\text{m}}<br /> \\<br /> \theta=30 \degree<br />

You have not given an initial speed, so your problem is not completely specified.

For any given initial speed you can set up and solve the DEs numerically, and I think that is about the best you can do (in view of the criticism of "ehild" in #2).

Perhaps, though, you can get usable approximations by attempting something like a perturbation theory approach in which you essentially expand in powers of the small parameter ##k##.
 
ehild said:
No, this is not correct. The force of air resistance is opposite to the velocity vector and its magnitude is proportional to v2. v2 is a scalar, it does not have components.
Ray Vickson said:
You have not given an initial speed, so your problem is not completely specified.

For any given initial speed you can set up and solve the DEs numerically, and I think that is about the best you can do (in view of the criticism of "ehild" in #2).

Perhaps, though, you can get usable approximations by attempting something like a perturbation theory approach in which you essentially expand in powers of the small parameter ##k##.

Sorry, I forgot to mention that-- the initial velocity is 9 m/s
 
ehild said:
No, this is not correct. The force of air resistance is opposite to the velocity vector and its magnitude is proportional to v2. v2 is a scalar, it does not have components.
What do you mean? Can't any force in vectorspace be divided into
[PLAIN]https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/18d95a7845e4e16ffb7e18ab37a208d0ab18e0e0, https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/3dc8de3d8ea01304329ef9518fad7a6d196c4c01 components?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Adrsya Rupam said:
What do you mean? Can't any force in vectorspace be divided into
[PLAIN]https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/18d95a7845e4e16ffb7e18ab37a208d0ab18e0e0, https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/3dc8de3d8ea01304329ef9518fad7a6d196c4c01 components?

The friction force acts along the negative of the tangent to the trajectory. See, eg.,
http://wps.aw.com/wps/media/objects/877/898586/topics/topic01.pdf
or
http://young.physics.ucsc.edu/115/range.pdf

The case of ##\vec{f}_{\text{friction}} = - k \vec{v}## is tractable, but not your case of ##\vec{f}_{\text{friction}} = - k |v|^2\, \vec{v}/|v| = -k |v| \vec{v}##.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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Adrsya Rupam said:
Ahh, I get it... would I need to use numerical approximation methods?

Yes. That is what I said in #3.
 

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