HW 5: Projectile Motion (20 Marks)

1. A ball is thrown through the air. The ball experiences a small amount of drag compared to
its weight.
At a particular time the ball is at point X.
Which arrow best represents the direction of the resultant force on the ball when it is at X?

Your answer [1]

2. In a hockey match a hockey ball is hit 18.0 m from the front of the goal. The ball leaves the
hockey stick with initial velocity v at an angle θ to the horizontal ground. The ball passes
over the goal at a maximum height of 2.0 m as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

The initial vertical component of the velocity of the ball is 6.3 m s−1. Air resistance has
negligible effect on the motion of the ball.

i. Show that the time t taken for the ball to reach the maximum height is about 0.6 s.

[1]

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 ii. Use the answer to (i) and Fig. 3 to show that the horizontal component of the
velocity of the ball as it leaves the hockey stick is about 30 m s−1.

[1]

iii. Calculate the magnitude of the initial velocity v of the ball.

v = ........................................................... m s−1[2]

3. Fig. 4.1 shows the path of a tennis ball after bouncing on the ground at A and hitting a
vertical wall at B.

The ball is travelling horizontally as it hits the wall at B. Air resistance has negligible effect
on the motion of the ball.

i. Explain why the horizontal component of the velocity of the ball remains constant as
it moves from A to B.

[1]

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 ii. The ball loses some of its kinetic energy when it hits the wall at B. It leaves the wall
horizontally.
1. On Fig. 4.1, sketch the path of the ball between bouncing at the wall and
hitting the ground.
2. Explain how the time taken for the ball to travel from A to B compares with
the time it takes to travel from B to the ground.

[3]

4. Fig. 2.1 shows the path of a golf ball which is struck at point F on the fairway landing at
point G on the green. The effect of air resistance is negligible.

The ball leaves the club at 17 m s−1 at an angle of 60° to the horizontal at time t = 0.

Show that the speed of the ball at the highest point H of the trajectory is between 8 and 9
m s−1.

speed = .......................................... m s−1 [2]

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 5. While on the surface of the Moon an astronaut hits a golf ball with a club and declared that
it went for ‘miles and miles’. The ball was given an initial velocity u at a fixed angle θ to the
horizontal. Show that the horizontal distance travelled by the ball is directly proportional to
u2.

[3]

6.

A tennis ball is struck with a racket.

The initial velocity v of the ball leaving the racket is 30.0 m s–1 and it makes an angle of 70° to the
horizontal as shown in Fig. 16.
Air resistance is negligible

Fig. 16

i. Calculate the vertical component of the initial velocity of the ball.

vertical component = m s–1[1]

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ii. Use your answer in (i) to show that the ball reaches a maximum height h of about 40 m.

h= m [2]

iii. Explain why the kinetic energy of the ball is not zero at maximum height.

[1]

iv. The mass m of the ball is 57.0 g.

Calculate the kinetic energy Ek of the ball when it is at its maximum height.

Ek = J [2]

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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