Motion in two dimensions: projectiles
A curved trajectory
Projectile Motion
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
•Identify and explain the properties of a projectile, such as acceleration due to gravity, range, maximum
•height, and trajectory.
•Determine the location and velocity of a projectile at different points in its trajectory.
•Apply the principle of independence of motion to solve projectile motion problems.
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Projectile Motion
How would you describe the motion of the Olympic ski
jumper shown in Figure 1 as he begins his ski jump?
What path will his motion take as he falls toward the
ground?
The motion experienced by a ski jumper is identical to that
of a ball thrown up in the air at an angle. Both travel
through a two-dimensional curved path called a parabola.
Any object that moves in response to gravity along a
two-dimensional curved trajectory is called a projectile.
The motion of a projectile under gravity is called
projectile motion.
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Imagine you and a friend are standing in front of an open
window. You each have an identical rubber ball. At the same
instant, you throw your rubber ball horizontally out the window
while your friend allows her rubber ball to just fall to the ground.
Question: Which rubber ball will reach the ground first?
The answer may be surprising: both rubber balls will reach the
ground at exactly the same time.
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Figure 2 shows that the horizontal velocity does not change, while the vertical velocity increases
from zero with uniform acceleration.
The rubber ball that you throw horizontally will experience the same vertical motion as the rubber
ball that falls straight down.
As a result, both rubber balls reach the ground at the same time. The amount of time it takes for a
projectile to complete its motion is known as its time of flight.
In a projectile motion problem, while the
horizontal velocity is constant, the vertical
velocity changes because of the acceleration
due to gravity.
The rubber ball that you throw is
simultaneously undergoing uniform velocity
horizontally and uniform acceleration vertically.
These two motions are independent of each
other, but once again they do share one
common factor: time. e time taken for the
horizontal motion is exactly the same as the
time taken for the vertical motion. It is is true
since the projectile comes to rest when it hits
the ground.
The horizontal distance travelled by a
projectile ( delta d x) is known as the range.
Vertical and horizontal at the same time
Here is an example to illustrate what happens when an object
In a toy, a ball-bearing is fired horizontally
fromtravels vertically
a point and horizontally
0.4 m above the ground.at the
Its same time.
initial velocity is 2.5 m s−1. Its positions at
equal intervals of time have been
calculated and are shown in Table 2.7.
These results are also shown in Figure
2.31. Study the table and the graph. You
should notice the following:
•The horizontal distance increases steadily.
This is because the ball’s horizontal
motion is unaffected by the force of
gravity. It travels at a steady velocity
horizontally so we can use
.
•The vertical distances do not show the
same pattern. The ball is accelerating
downwards so we must use the equations
of motion. (These figures have been 7
projectile motion_ motion with a constant horizontal velocity and
a constant vertical acceleration due to gravity
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c
INDEPENDENCE OF MOTION
Consider an example of an astronaut in space throwing a ball horizontally with an initial velocity
.
Equations for constant acceleration
Problems involving bodies moving with constant acceleration in a
straight line can often be solved quickly using some equations of
motion.
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Projectile Motions
• Horizontal motion
Horizontally Launched Projectiles
Horizontally launched projectiles are the most common projectile motion problems encountered
on introductory physics exams. As with any kinematics problem, identifying variables (especially
hidden variables) is extremely important. In horizontal launches, the initial velocity in the y-
direction is zero as shown in Table 4.6. This simplifies the y-direction equations.
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Summary
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10 A ball is thrown with an initial velocity of 20 m s−1 at an
angle of 30° to the horizontal (Figure 2.32). Calculate the
horizontal distance travelled by the ball (its range).
Figure 2.32: For Worked example 10.
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