Kinematics Dynamics

1st half of semester

Lecture note #5: freely falling bodies, projectile
motion

Dr. Eng. Radon Dhelika

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Freely falling bodies

What is the meaning of “free”?

acceleration due to gravity

g = 9.8 m/s2

Can the g value be negative?

 Sample problem 1

A coin is dropped from a tower and falls freely from rest. What are its
position and velocity after 1.0 s, 2.0 s, and 3.0 s?

Be careful with determining the

positive direction
Sample problem 1
We take upward direction as positive

(But this is up to you)

Hence:
• gravity is -9.8 m/s2
• all positions and velocities will be
negative

x v
t=1s -4.9 m -9.8 m/s
t=2s
t=3s
 Sample problem 2

Sketch the following graphs of motion for an object thrown straight upward,
reaches the highest position, and returns back
a) displacement-time
b) velocity-time
c) acceleration-time
(the acceleration experienced by the object can be assumed to be constant
9.8 m/s2)

Be careful with determining the

positive direction
Sample problem 2

A free-fall misconception
It’s a common misconception that at the
highest point of free-fall motion, where the
velocity is zero, the acceleration is also
zero. This is not true
Example: Accelerometer data

Counting steps by capturing the

acceleration data from a mobile device
with a computer running MATLAB
Hardware used:
• Android device
• 3-axis accelerometer

Notice: one of the axis shows the

acceleration value of around -9.8 m/s2
Sample problem 3
You throw a ball vertically upward from the
roof of a tall building. The ball leaves your
hand at a point even with the roof railing with
an upward speed of 15 m/s; the ball is then in
free fall. On its way back down, it just misses
the railing. Find
a) the ball’s position and velocity 1.00 s and
4.00 s after leaving your hand;
b) the ball’s velocity when it is 5.00 m above
the railing;
c) the maximum height reached;
d) the ball’s acceleration when it is at its
maximum height;
e) At what time after being released has the
ball fallen 5.00 m below the roof railing?
f) Sketch the ball's x-t and v-t graph
Sample problem 3
(a)

(b)

We get two values because the ball

passes through the point y = 5 m twice,
once on the way up and once on the way
(c) down

(d) -9.8 m/s2

Sample problem 3
(e) We can use:

Setting y = -5 m and solving the quadratic equation,

we obtain t1 = +3.36 s and t2 = -0.30 s

(f)
 Rectangular coordinate

• = Cartesian coordinate system

• A good option to represent a motion
rectangular
coordinate

projectile
motion
other

other
Projectile motion
• Air resistance is neglected
• Discussion on air resistance
will be in Dynamics chapter
General projectile motion
At the top, the projectile has zero
vertical velocity (vy = 0), but its
vertical acceleration is still -g

Horizontally, the projectile is Vertically, the projectile is in

in constant-velocity motion constant-acceleration motion due
to the gravitational pull
Equations
Ballistic motion/trajectory
• The more correct use of
word is: “ballistic”
• Applications? Abundant

“ballista” “sling”

“catapult”
 Sample problem 4

A motorcycle rider rides off the edge of a cliff. Just at the edge, his velocity is horizontal,
with magnitude 9.0 m/s.
Find the motorcycle’s position, distance, and velocity from the edge of the cliff, 0.50 s after it
leaves the edge of the cliff.
Sample problem 4
Sample problem 5

You throw a ball from your window 8.0 m above the ground.
When the ball leaves your hand, it is moving at 10.0 m/s at an
angle of 20o below the horizontal. How far horizontally from
your window will the ball hit the ground? Ignore air resistance.
Sample problem 5
Example: KRAI (Abu Robocon) 2018
Research: eddy current separator
Lorentz Force
• For separating non-metals and non-ferrous
metals (copper, aluminum, etc)
• Exposing nonferrous metals to a time-varying
magnetic field → electrical currents throughout
their volume → Lorentz force → deflecting the
non-ferrous metals → separation

General concept of eddy-

current separator (Smith,
2019)
Effect of drag?

Trajectories of three objects

thrown at the same angle
(70°)
Black: no drag
Blue: Stoke's drag
Green: Newtonian (source:
Wikipedia)

How to incorporate drag

into calculation?
Simulation of projectile motion

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/projectile-motion/latest/projectile-motion_en.html
Sample problem 6
The curvilinear motion of a particle is defined by vx = 50 - 16t and y
= 100 - 4t2, where vx is in meters per second, y is in meters, and t is
in seconds. It is also known that x = 0 when t = 0. Determine its
velocity and acceleration when the position y = 0 is reached
Sample problem 6
Sample problem 7
A 510-N swimmer dives off a cliff with a running horizontal
leap. What must her minimum speed be just as she leaves the
top of the cliff so that she will miss the ledge at the bottom,
which is 1.75 m wide and 9.00 m below the top of the cliff?
Sample problem 7
She must travel 1.75 m horizontally
during the time she falls 9.00 m
vertically

t = 1.36 s

If she increases her initial speed she still takes 1.36 s to reach the
level of the ledge, but has traveled horizontally farther than 1.75 m