Projectile MotionAlso known as two dimensional motion or trajectory problems

Projectile Motion Projectile motion occurs when objects

are launched at an angle so they are moving in both the horizontal and vertical directions

Projectile Motion Key Idea: Because gravity only acts

vertically, the way to solve these problems is to separate the problem into a vertical part and a horizontal part and solve them separately.

Projectile Motion Typically the place to start is to resolve

the velocity vector (which is at an angle) into a vertical velocity and horizontal velocity.

Projectile Motion Solve the problem by keeping the

vertical and horizontal components in separate tables

Vertical Horizontal

The variable which is common to both is time.

Projectile Motion Example: launch a cat at 50m/s at an

angle of 30 degrees w/the horizontal Find the maximum height, horizontal

distance, and time in the air V(horizontal) = 50 x cos(30) = 43.3 m/s V(vertical) = 50 x sin(30) = 25 m/s

Projectile Motion Vertical V(vertical) = 25m/s Time (to peak) = 2.5 seconds so total

time up and down is 5.0 seconds Distance (up) = ½ a t2 = 31.2m

Projectile Motion Horizontal We found the total time in the air = 5

seconds (from the vertical part) The distance travelled horizontally is the

horizontal velocity x time = 43.3m/s x 5s = 220m

Projectile Motion Nice visual

Projectile Motion Nicer visual