What is the speed of the golf ball when it lands on the elevated green?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a golf ball being struck towards an elevated green, requiring the determination of its speed just before landing. The ball is hit at an initial speed and angle, and the elevation of the green is specified. The context includes kinematics and energy conservation principles.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss using kinematic equations and energy conservation methods to find the speed of the ball. There is an exploration of vertical and horizontal components of motion, as well as questioning the correctness of initial calculations and assumptions about height.

Discussion Status

Multiple participants have shared their calculated speeds, with some expressing uncertainty about the correctness of their methods. There is a suggestion to consider both vertical and horizontal components in the calculations, and a few participants are questioning whether the provided answer from an external source is accurate.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the elevation of the green as a significant factor in the calculations, and there is mention of potential confusion regarding the interpretation of speed versus velocity in the context of energy conservation.

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Homework Statement



A golfer hits a shot to a green that is elevated 3.00 m above the point where the ball is struck. The ball leaves the club at a speed of 17.3 m/s at an angle of 50.0˚ above the horizontal. It rises to its maximum height and then falls down to the green. Ignoring air resistance, find the speed of the ball just before it lands.

Homework Equations


v^2 = v0^2 + 2ax


The Attempt at a Solution


Basically, what i did was getting the y value from the speed.
It was like: 17.3sin(50.0) = 13.25m/s. From the given, what
I could figure out were acceletion (-9.81m/s) and velocity (13.25m/s)
Since I only knew those two, I thought that I must use v^2 = v0^2 + 2ax.
For the maximum height, I did 0 = (13.25)^2 + 2(-9.81)(x) and x was 8.948m.
However, there was 3.00 elevation, so I subtracted 3.00 from 8.948,
which was 5.948m. From this, I tried to do the same equation and I
got the 10.80m/s for the answer, but the internet site says that it is wrong.

 
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Maybe you can do it with conservation of energy method(if you have learned them) .
Take the green level as zero level of PE.

The question is about the speed.
Using kinematic, you have to find both vertical and horizontal component.
Surely the horizontal component remains constant.
So it is the resultant of horizontal and vertical component.
 
I got the same answer as you. Intuitively, our answer should be right, because if you calculate for the final velocity of the golf ball when it lands at the same height from which it was hit (instead of 3.0m above the ground, like the problem stated), then v=13.25m/s, which is equivalent to the original y component of velocity.

Either both you and I have made the same mistake somewhere, or the website that you got the problem from has the wrong answer. Would you mind posting the answer that the website has?
 
AnTiFreeze3 said:
I got the same answer as you. Intuitively, our answer should be right, because if you calculate for the final velocity of the golf ball when it lands at the same height from which it was hit (instead of 3.0m above the ground, like the problem stated), then v=13.25m/s, which is equivalent to the original y component of velocity.

Either both you and I have made the same mistake somewhere, or the website that you got the problem from has the wrong answer. Would you mind posting the answer that the website has?

I got 15.5m/s.
 
azizlwl said:
I got 15.5m/s.
The answer 15.5m/s was actually right. Was my method of doing this
problem was wrong or I made some mistake during calculation?
 
Your method was determining the vertical velocity, which is correct.
But at level 3m, there is also horizontal velocity.

The question asked is the speed.
Doing kinematic for this problem is bit messy.

Doing with energy conservation is a bit easier since it is not a vector, just scalar.

So the initial energy KE1=KE2+mg
or
1/2m(v1)2=1/2m(v2)2 + mgh

(v1)2=(v2)2+2gh

Actually in above equations, v is speed not velocity since energy is scalar.

Maybe you are familiar with the last equation.
 
Last edited:

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