QUARTER 2

MOTION IN TWO
DIMENSIONS
PROJECTILE MOTION

NOTES
Most Essential Learning Competency

Deduce the consequences of the

independence of vertical and horizontal
components of projectile motion.
 A projectile is any object that
once projected or released continues
in motion by its own inertia and is
influenced only by the downward
force of gravity.
Interactive Activity: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Vectors-and-Projectiles/Projectile-Simulator/Projectile-Simulator-Interactive

1. Increasing the initial velocity (at 45 degrees, at H=0)

Initial Velocity Maximum Height y Maximum Range x Total time of

(m/s) (m) (m) travel
20 10.21 40.82 2.887
40 40.82 163.27 5.773
60 91.84 367.35 8.659

Questions:

As the initial velocity increases, what happens to:

a. the maximum height reached by the object? (also increases)
b. the maximum range? (also increases)
c. the total time of flight? (also increases)
From Interactive Activity:

2. Increasing the angle of release (at constant speed of 60 m/s, at H=0)

Angle Maximum Height y Maximum Range x Total time of
(m) (m) travel (s)
15 12.31 183.68 3.17
30 45.92 318.14 6.123
45 91.84 367.35 8.659
60 137.76 318.14 10.605
75 171.37 183.68 11.828

Questions:

1. At which angle would the projectile reach the longest or maximum range? (45 deg)
2. At which angles does the projectile travel the same horizontal distance or
range?(15 deg & 75 deg; 30 deg & 60 deg --- complementary angles)
3. As the angle of release increases, what happens to the total time of travel? (also
increases)
From Interactive Activity:

Projectile’s Path, Velocity Vector, and Acceleration Vector

Questions:

1. How does the path of a projectile look like? (parabola)

2. What happens to the vertical velocity (red arrow) as
the projectile travels? (changes at a constant rate – vertical
velocity decreases as the projectile travels upward; vertical
velocity is zero at the maximum height; vertical velocity increases
as the projectile travels downward)
3. Describe the horizontal velocity (red arrow) of the
projectile.(constant— both magnitude and direction)
4. What can you say about the acceleration of the
projectile? (constant – due to gravity, 9.8 m/𝑠2 )
5. At which part of projectile’s motion does vertical
velocity becomes zero? (at the maximum height)
Horizontal velocity (𝑣𝑥 ) is uniform or
constant – that means magnitude and
direction do not change.

Vertical velocity (𝑣𝑦 ) is changing at a

constant rate – it means that the
projectile has a uniform vertical
acceleration.
 Horizontal Motion
-- is a uniform rectilinear motion

𝑣𝑖𝑥 = 𝑣𝑥 = 𝑣𝑓𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖 cosθ

R = 𝑣𝑥 T

Where: 𝑣𝑥 = horizontal velocity

R = range = horizontal distance
T = time of flight
Object is thrown at a certain angle with the horizontal.

𝑣𝑖𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖 sinθ

𝒗𝒊𝒙 = 𝒗𝒊 𝐜osθ
Vertical Motion
-- is a uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion

𝑣𝑖𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖 sinθ

𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + (-g)t

𝑣𝑖𝑦 + 𝑣𝑓𝑦
h=( )t
2

(−𝑔)𝑡 2
h = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 𝑡 + 2

2 2
𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + 2(-g)h

Note: g = 9.8 m/𝑠 2

Object is thrown at a certain angle with the horizontal.

𝒗𝒊𝒚 = 𝒗𝒊 𝐬𝐢𝐧θ

𝑣𝑖𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖 cosθ
Review:

Free Fall
Equations:
𝑣𝑓 = 𝑣𝑖 + gt
Uniformly Accelerated Motion
𝑣𝑖 + 𝑣 𝑓
h=( )t
𝑣𝑓 = 𝑣𝑖 + at 2
𝑔𝑡 2
𝑣𝑖 + 𝑣 𝑓 h = 𝑣𝑖 𝑡 +
2
d=( )t
2
𝑎𝑡 2 𝑣𝑓2 = 𝑣𝑖2 + 2gh
d = 𝑣𝑖 𝑡 + 2 −𝑏± 𝑏2 −4𝑎𝑐
Quadratic formula: 2𝑎
𝑣𝑓2 = 𝑣𝑖2 + 2ad
𝑎𝑥 2 + bx + c = 0
Horizontal Motion Vertical Motion
-- is a uniform rectilinear -- is a uniformly accelerated
motion rectilinear motion

𝑣𝑖𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖 sinθ
𝑣𝑖𝑥 = 𝑣𝑥 = 𝑣𝑓𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖 cosθ
𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + (-g)t
R = 𝑣𝑥 T
𝑣𝑖𝑦 + 𝑣𝑓𝑦
Where: 𝑣𝑥 = horizontal velocity h=( 2
)t
R = range = horizontal distance (−𝑔)𝑡 2
T = time of flight h = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 𝑡 + 2

2 2
𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + 2(-g)h

Note: g = 9.8 m/𝑠 2

 v (m/s)

50
Time (s) Velocity
(m/s) 40
0 50 30
1 40
20
2 30
3 20 10
4 10 0
5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
6 -10 -10
t (s)
7 -20 -20
8 -30
-30
9 -40
-40
10 -50
-50
 v (m/s)

Time (s) Velocity

(m/s)
0 87 87
1 87
2 87
3 87
4 87 0
5 87 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
6 87 t (s)
7 87
8 87
9 87
10 87
Related Equations: 𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 0 at maximum height

Total time of flight: 0 − 𝑣𝑖𝑦

𝑡𝑢𝑝 = −𝑔
− 𝑣𝑖𝑦
2 𝑣𝑖 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃 𝑡𝑢𝑝 =
𝑡𝑇 = −𝑔
𝑔
𝑣𝑖𝑦
𝑡𝑢𝑝 =
𝑔
𝑡𝑢𝑝 = 𝑡𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 = t
Derivation:
𝑡𝑇 = 𝑡𝑢𝑝 + 𝑡𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛 = 2t
𝒗𝒇𝒚 = 𝒗𝒊𝒚 + 𝒈𝒕𝒖𝒑 𝑡𝑇 = 2t = 2𝑡𝑢𝑝
𝑡𝑇 = 2𝑡𝑢𝑝
𝑣𝑓𝑦 - 𝑣𝑖𝑦 = - 𝑔 𝑡𝑢𝑝
𝑣𝑖𝑦
𝑡𝑇 = 2
𝑣𝑓𝑦 − 𝑣𝑖𝑦 −𝑔𝑡𝑢𝑝 𝑔
=
−𝑔 −𝑔 𝒗𝒊𝒚 = 𝒗𝒊 𝐒𝐢𝐧θ

𝑣𝑓𝑦 − 𝑣𝑖𝑦 𝑣𝑖 Sinθ

𝑡𝑢𝑝 = 𝑡𝑇 = 2
−𝑔 𝑔

2𝑣𝑖 Sinθ
𝑡𝑇 =
𝑔
Related Equations:
2
−𝑣𝑖𝑦 −2gℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥
Maximum height ( ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 ) : =
−2𝑔 −2𝑔

𝑣𝑖2 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃 2
−𝑣𝑖𝑦
ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑔 −2𝑔
= ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥

2
𝑣𝑖𝑦
Derivation:
ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑔

𝒗𝟐𝒇𝒚 = 𝒗𝟐𝒊𝒚 + 2g𝒉𝒎𝒂𝒙 𝒗𝒊𝒚 = 𝒗𝒊 𝐒𝐢𝐧θ

𝒗𝒇𝒚 = 0 at maximum height
(𝑣𝑖 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃)2
2
ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 2𝑔
0 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + 2(-g)ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥

2
0 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 - 2gℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝑣𝑖2 𝑠𝑖𝑛2 𝜃
ℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 =
2
-𝑣𝑖𝑦 = - 2gℎ𝑚𝑎𝑥 2𝑔
 Related Equations:

Range (R):

𝑣𝑖2 𝑠𝑖𝑛2𝜃
𝑅= 𝑔

Derivation:
2 𝑣𝑖 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
R = (𝑣𝑖 cosθ ) ( )
R = 𝑣𝑥 𝑡𝑇 𝑔

𝑣𝑖2 2𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃
𝑣𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖𝑥 = 𝑣𝑖 cosθ R= 𝑔
2 𝑣𝑖 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
𝑡𝑇 = 𝑔 Sin (2θ) = 2𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃

R=
2 𝑣 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝜃
(𝑣𝑖 cosθ ) ( 𝑖 𝑔 ) 𝑣𝑖2 sin(2𝜃)
R= 𝑔
Related Equations:

Final Velocity (𝑣𝑓 ):

2 2
𝑣𝑓 = 𝑣𝑓𝑥 + 𝑣𝑓𝑦

Direction of Final Velocity:

𝑣𝑦
𝜃 = tan−1 𝑣
𝑥
Sample problem:

A soccer ball is kicked at ground level with

a speed of 20 m/s at an angle of 45 degrees
with the horizontal. How long does it stay on
air before it hits the ground?
Sample problem:

A soccer ball is kicked at ground level with a speed of 20 m/s at an angle of 45 degrees with the
horizontal. How long does it stay on air before it hits the ground?
Answer: 2.9 seconds

Possible Equations:

2 𝑣 𝑆𝑖𝑛𝜃 (−𝑔)𝑡 2 𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + (-g)t

𝑡𝑇 = 𝑖 𝑔 h = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 𝑡 + 2
𝑣𝑖𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖 sinθ
Note: take +g h=0
−𝑏± 𝑏 2 −4𝑎𝑐 𝑣𝑓𝑦 = -𝑣𝑖𝑦
Quadratic formula:
2𝑎
PRACTICE:
Interactive Activity: https://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Vectors-and-Projectiles/Projectile-Simulator/Projectile-Simulator-Interactive

1. Increase the initial velocity (at 45 degrees, at H=0)

Initial Velocity Maximum Height y Maximum Range x Total time of

(m/s) (m) (m) travel
20 10.21 40.82 2.887
40 40.82 163.27 5.773
60 91.84 367.35 8.659

1. Compute the initial vertical velocity.

2. Compute the horizontal velocity.

3. How fast is the projectile at the maximum height of its flight?

PRACTICE
2. Increase the angle of release (at initial speed of 60 m/s, at H=0)

Angle Maximum Height y Maximum Range x Total time of

(m) (m) travel (s)
15 12.31 183.68 3.17
30 45.92 318.14 6.123
45 91.84 367.35 8.659
60 137.76 318.14 10.605
75 171.37 183.68 11.828

Question:
How long does it take for the projectile to reach the maximum height when projected at 15
degrees with the horizontal?

𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎: (𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)

𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙 3.17 𝑠
𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = = = 1.585 𝑠
2 2
Note: The projectile landed on the same level from where it was released.
PRACTICE
Question:
How long does it take for the projectile to reach the maximum height when projected at 15 degrees
with the horizontal?
Solution:
Given:
𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑣𝑖𝑦
𝜃 = 15°
𝑣𝑖𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖 sin 𝜃
𝑣𝑖 = 60 𝑚/𝑠 𝑣𝑖𝑦 = (60𝑚/𝑠)(sin 15°) = 15.53 𝑚/𝑠
𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑦 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 max ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 = 0
𝑔 = 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2 𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 (𝑡)
0 = 15.53 𝑚Τ𝑠 − 9.8 𝑚ൗ𝑠 2 (𝑡)
Unknown: time (t) to reach the maximum height −15.53 𝑚Τ𝑠 = −9.8 𝑚ൗ𝑠 2 (𝑡)

Equation: 𝑣𝑓𝑦 = 𝑣𝑖𝑦 + (-g)t −9.8 𝑚ൗ 2 (𝑡)

−15.53 𝑚Τ𝑠 𝑠
=
−9.8 𝑚ൗ 2 −9.8 𝑚ൗ 2
𝑠 𝑠
𝑚
−15.53 Τ𝑠
𝑡=
−9.8 𝑚ൗ 2
𝑠
Final Answer: 𝑡 = 1.585 𝑠