Projectile Motion Question with Components

[electriceel]

Question Reads:
An artillery unit has a 105 mm howitzer with shells that leave the muzzle at Velocity 472 m/s. Firepower fixed but angle at which it is fired (60$$\circ$$) is not. A What should you do? Increase or decrease the angle? B As an artillery officer in physics training, where di the shot first land? determine time shell takes to reach max height and use that to figure out total time for shell to hit the ground


For A I know I have to decrease the angle, why? Not sure. Here's what I did for A

V_xo = 472 cos 60 = 236 m/s
V_yo = 472 sin 60 = 409 m/s

$$\theta$$ = 30$$\circ$$


B Time, Using 10 as g: V_y = V_yo - gT --> 0=409 - 10T ---> T= 40.9 seconds to max height.

And then I have no idea where to go from there.

 

[AvroArrow]

For A: Decreasing the angle of the howitzer will increase the range of the shell, because a lower angle means that the shell will have an increased horizontal velocity, allowing it to travel farther. For B: The total time for the shell to hit the ground is equal to twice the time it takes to reach its max height. In this case, the total time for the shell to hit the ground would be 81.8 seconds. To determine where the shot will first land, you would need to use the equation: x = Vxo*T, where x is the distance traveled in the horizontal direction and T is the total time for the shell to hit the ground.

 

[kerimek]

I would like to clarify that the information provided in the question is insufficient to accurately determine the correct angle at which the howitzer should be fired. The angle at which the howitzer should be fired depends on various factors such as the desired range, the elevation of the target, and the wind speed and direction. Therefore, a more comprehensive analysis and calculation is needed to accurately determine the optimal angle for firing the howitzer.

To answer the first question (A), whether to increase or decrease the angle, it is important to consider the range and elevation of the target. In general, a higher angle of elevation will result in a longer range, while a lower angle will result in a shorter range. However, if the target is at a higher elevation, a lower angle may be more effective. Therefore, it is crucial to have more information about the target and the surrounding conditions before determining the optimal angle.

For the second question (B), to determine where the shot will first land, we need to consider the projectile motion of the shell. The shell will follow a parabolic path, reaching its maximum height and then falling back down to the ground. The total time for the shell to hit the ground can be calculated by considering the time it takes to reach its maximum height and the time it takes to fall back down to the ground.

Using the equation V = V0 + at, we can calculate the time it takes for the shell to reach its maximum height by setting the final velocity (V) to zero, since the shell will momentarily stop at its maximum height. Therefore, the time taken to reach the maximum height (T) can be calculated as T = V0/g, where V0 is the initial vertical velocity of the shell and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

To determine the total time for the shell to hit the ground, we can use the equation d = V0t + 1/2at^2, where d is the distance traveled, V0 is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time. By setting d to the desired range and solving for t, we can determine the total time for the shell to hit the ground.

In conclusion, to accurately determine the optimal angle for firing the howitzer and to determine where the shot will first land, a more thorough analysis and calculation is needed, taking into account various factors such as the range, elevation, and surrounding conditions.