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5
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1answer
60 views

In tennis, why does topspin serve bounce higher than flat serve?

When receiving servers (while playing tennis), I've noticed that the tennis ball seems to bounce up higher on me when the server uses a topspin serve than when the server hits a flat serve. Why is ...
1
vote
0answers
38 views

Why is the angle of impact complementary to the angle of launch in the simple equations for the range of a projectile?

I'm using the standard equation for the range of a projectile: \begin{align} d &= \frac{v\ \text{cos}\theta}{g} \left( v\ \text{sin}\theta + \sqrt{v^2\ \text{sin}^2\theta + 2gy_0}\right) ...
-1
votes
0answers
29 views

Velocity versus time graph [closed]

A stone is thrown at an angle of $45^0$ above the horizontal x-axis in the +x-direction. If air resistance is ignored, which of the velocity versus time graphs shown above best represents $v_x$ ...
-1
votes
1answer
31 views

Projectile motion: Thrust in x direction = acceleration in x direction? [closed]

I understand that in projectile motion, when an object is solely under the influence of gravity, there is no acceleration in the $x$-direction (with the acceleration due to gravity in the $y$ ...
1
vote
3answers
120 views

How can I solve for time without knowing the vertical velocity?

A guy posted this problem on a forum: There is a bird sitting on a pole of height h. you throw a rock at it and the moment the rock leaves your hand the bird starts flying horizontally away from ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views

Reachable area of cannonball given fixed initial speed [closed]

The trajectory of a cannonball fired from the origin with initial speed $v_0$ at an angle $\theta$ is given by $$y = x\tan\theta - \frac{g}{2v_0^2 \cos^2\theta}x^2.$$ For fixed $v_0$, at what angle ...
1
vote
1answer
131 views

Projectile along incline [closed]

A particle is projected with velocity $u$ from the bottom of an inclined plane whose inclination with the horizontal is $\beta$. If afterwards the projectile strikes the inclined plane perpendicular ...
0
votes
0answers
37 views

Maximum Height of Potato [closed]

I have a bit of a problem. We made potato launchers and launched the potato's into the air. I need to find out what the maximum height my potato reached was. The givens I have are the following: Mass ...
0
votes
2answers
74 views

How to calculate time for ball to reach plane while considering mass, gravity and wind resistance?

The scenario that I'm having is such that a ball of radius $15mm$ is thrown from a location point $\vec{p}=(2, 5, 2)$ in a direction of $\vec{d}=(3, 0, 4)$. The initial velocity is $30m/s$. There were ...
0
votes
0answers
40 views

Trajectory the body thrown at angle to the horizon

I need to simulate some body, thrown at some angle to the horizon and at some azimuth. What would be $x(t)$, $y(t)$ and $z(t)$ involving $g(h)$, air resistance (with $\rho(h)$), Coriolis effect and ...
2
votes
2answers
83 views

Parabolic motion (experiment)

We performed a laboratory, performing six releases of a sphere with angles $15^\circ,30^\circ,45^\circ,60^\circ,75^\circ,40^\circ$ a parabolic movement, took five distances for each angle, the initial ...
0
votes
2answers
79 views

Given Angle, Initial Velocity, and Acceleration due to Gravity, plot parabolic trajectory for every “x”?

Given any Angle -> 0-90 Given any Initial Velocity -> 1-100 Given Acceleration due to Gravity -> 9.8 Plot every x,y coordinate (the parabolic trajectory) with cartesian coordinates and screen pixels ...
7
votes
4answers
464 views

What causes a soccer ball to follow a curved path?

Soccer players kick the ball in a linear kick, though you find it to turn sideways, not even in one direction. Just mid air it changes that curve's direction. Any physical explanation? Maybe this ...
0
votes
3answers
95 views

Solve for Initial Velocity of a projectile given Angle, Gravity, and Initial and Final positions?

I've found equations http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/1DKin/U1L6a.cfm for solving everything (and rearranged to solve everything) to do with projectile motion EXCEPT this, even though it should ...
1
vote
3answers
110 views

Projectiles and escape velocity

Q: The escape velocity for a body projected vertically upwards from the surface of earth is 11 km/s. If the body is projected at an angle of $45^\circ$ with vertical, the escape velocity will be? ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views

Projectile's angle in midflight

For a missile travelling from (0,0) at angle $\theta$ (to the horizontal) and initial velocity $u$, the y (vertical) position at time t is given by $s_{y} = u\sin (\theta) t - 0.5gt^{2}$ and the x ...
1
vote
0answers
68 views

What is the initial velocity of a projectile so that it passes through a target point in its trajectory? [closed]

Let's say I have a projectile being thrown by a player in my 2-D game. I want to work backwards and find the initial velocity to apply to the projectile such that it passes through a target point in ...
1
vote
0answers
63 views

Getting pairs of angle and velocity for a projectile to a given destination

I'm trying to calculate the initial velocity $v_0$ and angle $\theta$ for a given destination $(x, y)$ with a launch height of $y_0$. Obviously there will be a set of pairs of velocity and angle that ...
1
vote
4answers
140 views

How to get the angle needed for a projectile to pass through a given point for trajectory plotting

I am trying to find the angle needed for a projectile to pass-through a given point. Here is what I do know: Starting Point $(x_0,y_0)$ Velocity Pass-through point $(x_1, y_1)$ I also need to ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views

Horizontal Displacement - Projectiles [closed]

I am having trouble on what is most likely a fairly basic thing to most of you. I have a question where I have gathered the following: Given Values: ...
1
vote
0answers
51 views

I need help with the following Physics' questions [closed]

I need to know which formulas and the step-by-step answers for the following physics questions: 1. You throw a ball upward with an initial speed of 7.0 m/s, and it returns to your hand o.92 ...
1
vote
0answers
47 views

A 0.1kg ball of dough is thrown up with a velocity of 15m/s. What is the momentum halfway up? [closed]

I know that $p=mv$ and (0.1kg)(15m/s)=1.5 kg m/s and the momentum at the vertex is 0, but what is the momentum halfway up?
1
vote
0answers
43 views

How to calculate the correct coordinates from a distorted video of a projectile?

I am working on a high school project that is related to projectile motion. I am exploring how exactly the position of the center of mass affects the trajectory of a long but thin, javelin-like ...
0
votes
3answers
165 views

Projectile motion, canon vs cliff

A cannon is placed at the bottom of a cliff 85 m high. If the cannon is fired straight upward, the cannonball just the reaches the top of the cliff. a) Calculate the initial speed of the cannonball. ...
0
votes
1answer
60 views

Is it necessary to know initial y velocity to solve this projectile motion problem?

A marble is launched horizontally off a 93.0-cm high table causing the marble to land on the floor 1.85 m from the base of the table. a.) How long was the ball in the air? b.) With what ...
1
vote
1answer
130 views

Projectile motion problem with upward acceleration and horizontal velocity [closed]

An electron in a cathode-ray tube is traveling horizontally at 2.10×10^9 cm/s when deflection plates give it an upward acceleration of 5.30×10^17 cm/s^2 . B.) What is its vertical displacement during ...
2
votes
3answers
145 views

In projectile motion, what does it mean for the motion along the $x$ and $y$ axis to be independent?

In projectile motion, what does it mean for the motion along the $x$ and $y$ axis to be independent? This question is referring to the concept of projectile motions.
1
vote
1answer
173 views

Monkey and tree - projectile motion

The famous scenario: A hunter is trying to shoot a Monkey hanging from a tree. However, this question doesn't mention the monkey jumping down from the tree or trying to escape. (The hunter uses a ...
0
votes
1answer
137 views

How do I find the magnitude and angle of the velocity?

I'm confused about the following problem. A ball is shot from the ground into the air. At a height of $9.1\text{ m}$, its velocity is $v = (7.6\hat{\imath}+ 6.1\hat{\jmath})\text{m/s}$, with ...
1
vote
1answer
77 views

What would be the effect of a slant barrel on the trajectory of a bullet?

Let's say I saw the barrel of a gun with a 45° angle, what would be the effect on the trajectory of a bullet fired through that barrel ? Would the bullet be less stable (I guess), would it make the ...
1
vote
1answer
146 views

Work done in projectile motion

A projectile is shot at some inclination to the ground. It falls at another point having R distance from the initial point on the ground. Is there any work done? If initial velocity vector is $(u\cos ...
1
vote
1answer
140 views

Projectile motion in two and three dimensions question?

So I bought this book in the library and physics fascinates me and I found this quote in the book " Galileo has proved that when any effects due to air resistance are ignored, the ranges for ...
3
votes
2answers
164 views

Finding optimal angle for projectile, taking into account linear (Stokes) drag

If you throw a projectile from the ground at a certain angle, it's not hard to see that, assuming we're in a vacuum, throwing it at 45º from the ground will always make it go farthest before it hits ...
0
votes
0answers
42 views

Physics homework about thrown projectiles [closed]

I've trouble figuring out 2 questions: A dart player throws a darts horizontally at a speed of 13.5 m/s. The dart hits the board 0.37 m below the height from which it was thrown. How far away is ...
1
vote
1answer
97 views

Idealized trajectory from sloped surface

I am a GIS programmer implementing a visualization. I am modeling the idealized trajectory of a particle ejected from a volcanic vent using: $$\text{distance} = \frac{(v^2 \times ...
1
vote
2answers
110 views

Estimating atmospheric friction by measuring the change in velocity of a ball thrown straight upwards

Imagine I throw a ball straight upwards with some velocity $v_1$, and filming the ball with a camera, I can estimate a velocity $v_2$ (along the same vector) after the ball has moved a distance $D$. ...
-1
votes
2answers
326 views

Work done by the air resistance [closed]

A ball of mass 0.37 kg is thrown upward along the vertical with a initial speed of 14 m / s, and reaches a maximum height of 8.4 m. a) What is the work done by air resistance on the ball? b) ...
0
votes
2answers
165 views

Calculating vertical velocity component of a particle with mass, given the hit point of parabolic motion

Consider the following situation: I have a particle with a given mass that at a given instant of time (let's say $t_{0}$) is placed at the system origin. The particle has a constant velocity ...
0
votes
0answers
54 views

Projectile Pathway [closed]

Assume you have a planet of mass $M$ and radius $R$ and have a stationary spaceship at distance $4R$ from the center of the planet.If a projectile is launched from the spaceship of mass $m$ and ...
0
votes
0answers
71 views

Downhill projectile question [closed]

I have to solve the following problem: A hill is sloped downward at an angle $\theta$ with respect to the horizontal. A projectile of mass $m$ is fired with speed $v_0$ perpendicular to the hill. ...
1
vote
0answers
73 views

Integration question from book “e: The Story of a Number” by Eli Maor [closed]

In the book 'e: The Story of a Number', a derivation of a parachutist problem is given on pg. 109-110. A parachutist jumps from a plane and at $t=0$ opens his chute. At what speed will he reach the ...
7
votes
1answer
249 views

One strategy in a snowball fight

Here's a common college physics problem: One strategy in a snowball fight is to throw a first snowball at a high angle over level ground. While your opponent is watching the first one, you ...
2
votes
2answers
186 views

How do I approach this conservation of energy problem, symbolically

In the absence of nonconservative forces such as friction and air resistance, the total mechanical energy in a closed system is conserved. This is why that when I toss an object directly upwards, the ...
0
votes
1answer
390 views

Projectile Motion with Air Resistance and Wind

I am wondering how the general kinematics equations would change in the following situation. If an object were fired out of a cannon, or some sort of launcher, so that it had both an initial velocity ...
4
votes
2answers
104 views

What was the muzzle velocity of a home made gun launch strait in the air if air time was 8.2sec?

I built a potato gun and wanted to calculate the muzzle velocity. I remember from physics that I could run the numbers by calculating time from launch until landing. After pointing strait into the air ...
0
votes
2answers
135 views

Energy Question

Carl throws 100 g of Bohrium-262 (Half life: 0.10 seconds, undergoes alpha decay) to Sukhdeep with a initial horizontal velocity of 20.0 m/s at an initial height of 2.00 m above the ground. What is ...
0
votes
0answers
65 views

I'm having trouble understanding the dimensions of this falling body problem

I'm working with this: A 50 kg mass is shot from a cannon straight up with an initial velocity of 10m/s off a bridge that is 100 meters above the ground. If air resistance is given by 5v ...
0
votes
2answers
121 views

Horizontal velocity of a projectile [closed]

I was trying to prove that horizontal velocity of a projectile remains constant mathematically, but can't fully come close to proving it. Is it possible to do it, or do we have to live with this ...
3
votes
1answer
211 views

How long will it take for a bullet to reach a Geostationary orbit?

I'm curious to know this. Neglect air friction and imagine a bullet that were shot normal to the Earth's surface, from the Equator. I will have to consider the Coriolis effect and so I expect the path ...
3
votes
2answers
189 views

Projectile motion along the earth

Suppose a projectile is launched from the Earth's surface with initial velocity $v_0$ well below speed of light and initial angle $\theta_0$ with respect to the vertical line perpendicular to the ...

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