Projectile Motion Trig Problem

In summary, the problem involves finding the angle θ at which a batted baseball will travel a distance of 300 feet, given an initial velocity of 100 feet per second and using the equation r=1/32v02sin2θ. The speaker found one solution for θ at approximately 37 degrees, but was unable to find the second solution. It is suggested that the second solution can be found by using the complementary angle of 37 degrees, which is 53 degrees. This is a common occurrence in projectile motion problems.
  • #1
Phyzwizz
60
0
I found one of the answers to the problem, and I took a peak, but couldn't find out how the book got the second answer.

Problem-
A batted baseball leaves the bat at an angle of θ with the horizontal and an initial velocity of v0=100 feet per second. The ball is caught by an outfielder 300 feet from home plate. Find θ if the range r of a projectile is given by.

r=1/32v02sin2θ

so 300=(1/32)(100)2sin2θ

θ=theta

I got approximately 37 degrees for one of my answers. I tried finding the second angle measure by taking the square root of 100 so I could have 2 answers but I realized that would just give me -37 degrees. I'm sure when someone answers this I will be pretty upset that I didn't see how to get the second degree angle, which the book says is 53 degrees. I plugged it into the equation and it works but how in the world do you get there.
 

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  • #2
Suppose you got sin(2θ) = 1/2, then 2θ = 30 degrees or ( 180 - 30 ) degrees.
Hence you get two values. In general, in projectile motion, range will be the same for complementary angles ( whose sum is 90 degrees).
 

Related to Projectile Motion Trig Problem

1. What is projectile motion?

Projectile motion is the motion of an object through the air (or any other medium) under the influence of gravity alone. It occurs when an object is thrown, launched, or dropped and moves along a curved path due to the force of gravity acting on it.

2. How do you calculate the horizontal and vertical components of projectile motion?

The horizontal component of projectile motion can be calculated using the equation: vx = v0x + ax * t, where vx is the horizontal velocity, v0x is the initial horizontal velocity, ax is the horizontal acceleration (usually 0 for projectile motion), and t is time. The vertical component can be calculated using the equation: vy = v0y + ay * t, where vy is the vertical velocity, v0y is the initial vertical velocity, ay is the vertical acceleration (usually -9.8 m/s^2 for Earth), and t is time.

3. How do you incorporate trigonometry into projectile motion problems?

Trigonometry is used to find the angle of launch, the horizontal and vertical components of velocity, and the range of a projectile. The sine and cosine functions are commonly used to find these values by using the known values of the initial velocity and angle of launch.

4. What is the range of a projectile?

The range of a projectile is the horizontal distance traveled by the projectile before it hits the ground. It can be calculated using the equation: R = (v0^2 * sin 2θ) / g, where R is the range, v0 is the initial velocity, θ is the angle of launch, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

5. How do you account for air resistance in projectile motion problems?

In most projectile motion problems, air resistance is assumed to be negligible. However, if it needs to be taken into account, the equations used will be more complex and will depend on factors such as the shape and size of the object, the air density, and the velocity of the object. In these cases, a computer simulation or experimental data may be necessary.

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