Shooting a bullet at an angle from a given height

In summary, the conversation discusses a problem involving a sniper firing a rifle at a 30 degree angle from a 70 meter-tall tower with an initial velocity of 1000 m/s. The problem requires finding the range of the bullet and the time it takes to hit the ground, assuming no air resistance. The solution involves dividing the motion of the bullet into two phases and using equations for velocity and time to calculate the total distance and time of the motion. The questioner confirms that the approach is correct and asks for an alternative sign convention to combine the two phases into one.
  • #1
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Homework Statement


A sniper standing on a 70 meter-tall tower fires his rifle at 30 degrees upwards with the initial velocity of 1000 m/s. What is the range of the bullet and how much time will pass before it hits the ground? Assume no air-resistance.

2. The attempt at a solution
I divided the motion of the bullet into two phases, the first one - until the bullets reaches the level at which it was released and the second one - from the end of phase 1, until it hits the ground. Therefore, in order to find the total distance the object will cover, I need to find the time each of these phases will take:
[tex]x_{max} = v_x(t_1+t_2)[/tex]
missile.PNG

Phase 1:
Velocity:
[tex]
\begin{cases} v_x = v_o \cos\theta \\
v_y = v_o \sin\theta - gt
\end{cases}
[/tex]
Time:
[tex]
t_1 = \frac{2v_o \sin\theta}{g}
[/tex]

Phase 2:
Velocity:
[tex]
\begin{cases} v_x = v_o \cos\theta \\ v_y = -v_o \sin\theta - gt \end{cases}
[/tex]
Time:
In order to find the time the second phase will take, I calculate how much time it will take the object to fall from y = H to y = 0:
[tex]
v_o \sin(\theta) t + \frac{1}{2}gt^2 = H \\
gt^2 + 2v_o \sin(\theta) t - 2H = 0 \\
t_2 = \frac{ \sqrt{v_o^2 \sin^2 \theta + 2gH} - v_o \sin \theta }{g}
[/tex]
And therefore the total time of the motion:
[tex]t = t_1 + t_2 = \frac{ \sqrt{v_o^2 \sin^2 \theta + 2gH} + v_o \sin \theta }{g}[/tex]

Could you tell me if I've tackled this problem correctly?
 
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  • #2
Yep, looks correct.

But can you think of a sign convention that can makes these 2 phases into 1?
 
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