Struggling with Projectile Motion Problems?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around problems related to projectile motion and kinematics. Participants are exploring scenarios involving a golf ball's trajectory and a car rolling off a cliff, both requiring an understanding of motion under gravity.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to apply projectile motion equations to determine initial speeds and maximum heights for the golf ball problem. There is also discussion about the car's motion down an incline and its subsequent fall.

Discussion Status

Some participants have shared equations related to projectile motion and expressed their struggles with specific problems. There is a mix of attempts to solve the first projectile problem, while others are still seeking help with the second scenario involving the car. Guidance has been offered in the form of equations, but no consensus has been reached on the solutions.

Contextual Notes

Participants have noted difficulties with different types of angles in projectile motion, particularly distinguishing between upward and downward angles. There is also mention of external resources provided to assist in understanding the concepts.

shellz178
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i'm having a lot of trouble with these:

1. A golf ball with an initial angle of 36° lands exactly 210 m down the range on a level course.
(a) Neglecting air friction, what initial speed would achieve this result?

(b) Using the speed determined in item (a), find the maximum height reached by the ball.

2. A science student riding on a flatcar of a train moving at a constant speed of 5.00 m/s throws a ball toward the caboose along a path that the student judges as making an initial angle of 65.0° with the horizontal. The teacher, who is standing on the ground nearby, observes the ball rising vertically. How high does the ball rise?

if anyone knows how to do these, help would be amazing. thanks!
 
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shellz178 said:
i'm having a lot of trouble with these:

1. A golf ball with an initial angle of 36° lands exactly 210 m down the range on a level course.
(a) Neglecting air friction, what initial speed would achieve this result?

(b) Using the speed determined in item (a), find the maximum height reached by the ball.

Here, this should be useful: http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~vawter/PhysicsNet/Topics/Vectors/ProjectilesMotion.html" .

After showing us some of your work, we'll be glad to jump in if necessary.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
shellz178 said:
i'm having a lot of trouble with these:

1. A golf ball with an initial angle of 36° lands exactly 210 m down the range on a level course.
(a) Neglecting air friction, what initial speed would achieve this result?

(b) Using the speed determined in item (a), find the maximum height reached by the ball.

2. A science student riding on a flatcar of a train moving at a constant speed of 5.00 m/s throws a ball toward the caboose along a path that the student judges as making an initial angle of 65.0° with the horizontal. The teacher, who is standing on the ground nearby, observes the ball rising vertically. How high does the ball rise?

if anyone knows how to do these, help would be amazing. thanks!


(a) Use the range equation: [tex]X_f[/tex] - [tex]X_i[/tex] = [tex]\frac{V_i^2sin(2\theta)}{g}[/tex]
 
Last edited:
The range of a projectile (how far it travels) is given by the equation
v2sin2@/g

note: i unconventionally used @ for the angle

The height is given by
h=v2sin2@/2g

These equations are derived from the basic kinematic equations of projectile motion under constant acceleration, have fun!
 
thanks a lot for all the help, i got the first question. I'm still stuck on the second one, and what's worse is that i have another one:

A car is parked on a cliff overlooking the ocean on an incline that makes an angle of 24.0° below the horizontal. The negligent driver leaves the car in neutral, and the emergency brakes are defective. The car rolls from rest down the incline with a constant acceleration of 6.50 m/s2 and travels 50.0 m to the edge of the cliff. The cliff is 40.0 m above the ocean.
(a) What is the car's position relative to the base of the cliff when the car lands in the ocean?

(b) How long is the car in the air?

i don't know if something's wrong with me because i can calculate upward angles, but downward angles won't work the same way.
 
thanks a lot for all the help, i got the first question. I'm still stuck on the second one, and what's worse is that i have another one:

A car is parked on a cliff overlooking the ocean on an incline that makes an angle of 24.0° below the horizontal. The negligent driver leaves the car in neutral, and the emergency brakes are defective. The car rolls from rest down the incline with a constant acceleration of 6.50 m/s2 and travels 50.0 m to the edge of the cliff. The cliff is 40.0 m above the ocean.
(a) What is the car's position relative to the base of the cliff when the car lands in the ocean?

(b) How long is the car in the air?

i don't know if something's wrong with me because i can calculate upward angles, but downward angles won't work the same way.
 

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