W04 Physics of Projectile Motion & Design

Water fountains follow a parabolic trajectory.

What’s wrong with this picture ?

Answer: It never happens ! Only when

there is no gravity.
Why do projectiles fly in a parabola?
A History of Projectile Motion
Aristotle:
The canon ball travels in a
straight line until it lost its
‘impetus’.

Galileo:
- a result of Free Fall Motion
along y-yaxis and Uniform
Motion along x-axis.
 Projectile Motion = Sum of 2 Independent Motions

1. Along x, the projectile travels with constant velocity.

vx=vxo x = vxot
2. Along y, the projectile travels in free-fall fashion.
vy = vyo – gt y = vyot – (1/2) gt2 g= 9.8 m/s2

Projectile motion = a combination of uniform motion along x and

uniformly accelerated motion (free fall) along y.
What’s the similarity between a freely-falling
y ball and a projectile ?
uniform motion

Projectile
motion
vertical
motion
x
A dropped ball falls in the same time as a ball shot horizontally.
Along the vertical, their motions are identical (uniformly
accelerated motion (free-fall).
Along the horizontal, notice the ball fired horizontally covers the
same distance in the same unit time intervals (uniform motion along x)
Velocity Components at various points of the Trajectory
Vertical component
vy v
Net velocity

vx
Horizontal component
Above: Vectors are
added in geometric
fashion.

Launch speed = Return Speed.

Speed is minimum at apex of parabolic trajectory.
At what angle do I launch for Maximum Range ?
Need to stay in air for the longest time,
and with the fastest horizontal velocity component
Answer: 45°
Everyday Examples of Projectile Motion

1.Baseball being thrown

2.Water fountains
3.Fireworks Displays
4.Soccer ball being kicked
5.Ballistics Testing
 Constant-Acceleration
Equations of Motion
Position as a Velocity as a Velocity as a
function of function of function of
time time position

x = x0 + v0xt vx = v0x vx2 = v0x2

+ ½ axt2 + axt + 2axDx

y = y0 + v0yt vy = v0y vy2 = v0y2

+ ½ ayt2 + ayt + 2ayDx
 Two dimensional motion

Horizontal and vertical motions are

independent! It is that simple.

We will find later that we only need

to look at the force components along
each direction. It is force that causes
acceleration.

Professor Stephen T. Thornton

 Projectile motion
Assumptions:
 air resistance is ignored for now.
 acceleration of gravity is constant
and has value g = 9.80 m/s2.
 Earth’s rotation is ignored.

Professor Stephen T. Thornton

 Set up solutions

Choose coordinate y ay =  g
system.
x

ax = 0 and ay =  g
Now what will the earlier kinematic
equations look like for projectile motion ?

Professor Stephen T. Thornton

Projectile motion equations
x  x0  v0 xt
1 2
y  y0  v0 yt  gt
2
vx  v0 x Don’t
v y  v0 y  gt memorize these
equations!
v v
2
x
2
0x

v  v  2 g Dy
2
y
2
0y

Professor Stephen T. Thornton

 Solving Problems Involving
Projectile Motion
1. Read the problem carefully, and choose the
object(s) you are going to analyze.
2. Draw a diagram.
3. Choose an origin and a coordinate system.
4. Decide on the time interval; this is the same in
both directions, and includes only the time the
object is moving with constant acceleration g.
5. Examine the x and y motions separately.
Professor Stephen T. Thornton
 Solving Problems Involving
Projectile Motion

6. List known and unknown quantities.

Remember that vx never changes, and
that vy = 0 at the highest point.
7. Strategy. Plan how you will proceed. Use
the appropriate equations; you may have
to combine some of them.
8. Find the solution.

Professor Stephen T. Thornton

 Practice in Projectile Motion
20 m/s upward & positive
a= -9.8 m/s2 downward & negative
• An object is thrown straight up from
the ground with an initial velocity of
20 m/s. How high does it rise?
10 m/s
• An object is thrown horizontally
with a velocity of 10 m/s from the
top of a 20-m-high building. Where
does the object straight the x
ground? (Here the downward direction is taken to be positive.)
 More practice in projectile motion
• Suppose the object had been thrown upward at an angle of
37 to the horizontal with a velocity of 10 m/s. Where
would it land? (Y-directed motion taking down as positive)
10 m/s

37

20m

x
 And another situation for projectile motion
• Where does the object hit the wall? (take the upward direction as positive)

20 m/s B

37
O

32 m