Motion in 2-D

1. 2. 3. 4.

Vectors Projectile Motion Circular Motion Relative Motion

Galileo

Vectors An object moves from point A to point B along the curved path shown. Supposing that we are not interested in the actual path followed but only in the result: That the object was displaced from A to B. How do we represent this Displacement?
B

We represent it by an arrow:
B

What information does the arrow give us? The length of the arrow is proportional to the distance between the endpoints and it points in the direction of the displacement. The displacement of an object is an example of a vector. The displacement of an object depends only on its starting point and its end point, it does not depend on the path taken. The two paths shown below correspond to the same displacement vector.

If I start someplace, go right around our galaxy and come back to the starting point, the displacement is zero. It is a vector of length zero. Q. What is the relation between the displacement and the distance traveled? A. There is really no relation. The most you can say is that the distance is greater than or equal to the magnitude of the displacement. The magnitude of the displacement is not the distance.
Displacement is a vector. We represent vectors by arrows.

How do we describe vectors? We can specify a vector by its magnitude (length) and its direction (the angle it makes with a given direction, maybe North).
When a particle moved along a line (motion in 1-D), positive displacement meant that it ended up at a point to the right of the starting point, negative displacement meant that it ended up to the left of the starting point. The sign gave us the direction, the magnitude the amount.

Q. An object is displaced by 30m east. Where is it now located? A. The displacement does not tell us the particles position is unless we know where it started. One object underwent a displacement of 30m east starting at some point in chennai and another one, starting at some point in Mumbai. Both displacements are identical, but their positions are different.

Resultant displacement Imagine that after going from point A to point B, our object proceeds onto point C, taking the curved path shown.

The second displacement is also represented by an arrow, as shown. Let us call the first displacement a and the second one, b. Vectors are written in bold. The object went from A to C, via B. Let us call the resulting displacement c. It points from A to C. c is the result of a followed by b. Vector c is called the resultant of vectors a and b.
b

a c

We write it symbolically as: c=a+b The plus sign stands for the operation place second vector so that its tail coincides with the head of the first, then join the tail of the

first to the head of the second to get the resultant. It is not a plus in the usual sense. This is called Vector addition. This is how vector addition is defined. All vectors are added in this fashion.
We could have used any symbol to represent this operation on two vectors to get a third, but the wise ones have chosen to use a + since (as we will see) the operation has all the properties of usual addition. Also note that we use boldface letters to denote vectors. While writing in longhand, place an arrow on top of the letter to denote vector:

Q. What is the sum of two vectors, a 2 unit long vector pointing north and another 2 unit long one pointing west? A. A 22 unit long vector pointing north west.

The magnitude of the first vector is 2. We write |a| = 2 . The magnitude of the second vector is also 2: |b| = 2. The magnitude of the resultant c, is 22: |c| = 22. Note that the magnitude of the resultant is not the sum of the magnitudes.

Q. Can the sum of two non zero vectors be a vector of zero length?

Q. Show that vector addition is commutative. That is, a + b = b + a. In the case of displacements, it means that performing displacement a followed by displacement b gives us the same resulting displacement as performing the displacements in the reverse order.

Force is a vector. Supposing that two forces, one a 30 N force pointing north and another force, a 40 N force pointing east act simultaneously on a 1 kg block. We wish to know the blocks resultant acceleration.

We first add the two vectors to find the resultant force:

Move the first vector so that its tail coincides with the head of the other vector, join the tail of the second to the head of the first.

The resultant is a vector 50 units long, acting in the direction shown. The two forces acting together produce exactly the same effect on the object as the single resultant force. Applying Newtons second law, F = m a , we conclude that the 1 kg block has an acceleration of 50 m/s2 in the direction of the resultant. Q. A 2 N force pointing south and a 2 N force pointing east act simultaneously on a 2 kg block. What single force can balance the two forces so that the block stays in equilibrium? A. A 22 N force acting toward the north west direction. Q. A 2 N force pointing southwest and a 2 N force pointing southeast act simultaneously on a 2 kg block for several seconds. If the block started at rest at the origin (of a coordinate system where north is along the positive y-axis and east is along the positive xaxis), what is its position at t = 4 sec? A. The resultant force is 22 N pointing south. The acceleration is 2 m/s2. Using s = a t2, its displacement is 82 m in the southern direction. So its position is (0, -82).

Multiplication of a vector by a number The drawing below explains it.

2a

-a 0.4a

Q. Can you get a vector pointing in some other direction by multiplying a vector by a number? A. Multiplication by a number can only give you a vector either in the same direction ( if the number is positive) or a vector in the opposite direction ( if the number is negative). Or a zero vector if you multiply by zero. The zero vector has no direction. You can never get a non-zero vector in another direction. If you had to solve the equation y a = x b , given that b is in a direction different from a, the only solution is x = y = 0.
Notice that defining the negative of a vector as a vector of the same length pointing in the opposite direction is consistent with adding the two to get zero: a + (-a) = 0.

Subtraction of vectors a b is simply equal to a + (-b). To find a b, add -b to a:

-b a b a-b a

When you want to add vectors, just think of them as displacements ( even if they are not): perform one displacement (draw one vector), then from its final point perform the second displacement (place the second arrow so that its tail is at the head of the first). Draw a third arrow, the resultant, from the start of the first displacement to the end of the second displacement.

1. If two vectors a and b are placed so that they form the sides of a triangle, what is the vector along the third side? Let the vectors point in any directions. 2. a and b lie along the sides of a triangle. What is the median from their common vertex to the opposite side? 3. What is the vector from the vertex to the centroid? 4. Two vectors a and b lie along two adjacent sides of a regular hexagon. In terms of these two vectors, write down vectors that lie along the other sides. Using vectors, show that the medians of a triangle are concurrent.

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ABCD is a parallelogram. Let us call the vector BA a and the vector BC b. P is a point on CD such that CP : PD = 3:1.
A D P

What is vector BP in terms of a and b ? 7. From the above figure, write the vector from B to the intersection of diagonal AC and the line BP.

Unit vectors Place a coordinate system over the plane. Consider a vector of length 1 ( called a unit vector) pointing in the direction of the positive x-axis. Lets call it i . Similarly, lets call the unit vector pointing in the positive y-direction j.
j

8. 9.

Draw various vectors in the plane and convince yourself that they can be written in terms of i and j. Sketch 3i + 4j, 3i 4j, -2i + 3j , -3i 2j.

10. Draw a vector of length a, making an angle with the x-axis. Show that it is equal to a cos i + a sin j. 11. What is the length of the vector 3i + 4j ? What angle does it make with the x-axis?

12.

What are the lengths of the two vectors 2i 2j and -3i 3j ? What is the angle between them?
The coefficients of the unit vectors i and j are called the vectors x- and ycomponents: the vector 3i + 2j has the x-component 3 and the y-component 2.

13.

Show that in order to add two vectors we need to simply add their xand y- components separately: (ai + bj ) + (ci + dj) = (a + c)i + ( b + d) j.

The components of a vector

y a

The length of the vector is a, the angle that it makes with the x-axis is . The angle is always measured by starting with the positive xdirection and rotating anti-clockwise until the vector is reached. The x component of the vector, denoted ax, is given by: ax = a cos . The y- component is given by: ay = a sin . These relations hold for any angle , even if it is more than 900. 1. 2. Show that these relations hold for the four cases where the vector with its tail at the origin, has its head in each of the four quadrants. Write down the following vectors in terms of their i,j components. a) A vector 4 units long, making an angle of 300 with the x-axis. b) A vector 10 units long, making an angle of 1200 with the x-axis. c) A vector 10 units long, making an angle of 2400 with the x-axis. d) A vector 1 unit long, making an angle of 2700 with the x-axis.

Projectile motion A projectile is any object that has been given an initial velocity and left to move under the action of gravity alone. At a later stage we learn to include the effects of air friction. Specifically we study the motion of objects near the earths surface over distances over which the acceleration due to gravity does not change by much.
The force of gravity on a small object of mass m that the earth exerts is given by Newtons law of gravitation: F = G m M / r2, where G is the universal gravitational constant, M is the mass of the earth and r is the distance of the object from the center of the earth. Letting the radius of the earth be R and the objects height above the earths surface be h, r = R + h. Considering that the radius of the earth is some 6700 km, h for ordinary projectiles like stones, cannonballs, basketballs, missiles is negligible compared to R. So the force of gravity on any of these objects is practically independent of their height above the earths surface. F = G m M / R2 = ma, where a is the acceleration of the object. m cancels on both sides, giving us a number that is independent of the accelerating object. a = G M / r2 This number evaluates to approximately 9.8 m/s2. This acceleration due to gravity of any object, be it a feather or a cannonball, is denoted g. It varies slightly over the surface of the earth.

A particle that is projected with an initial velocity at some angle will travel in a parabolic arc .

How do we predict the motion of an object if we know its initial velocity? The most important thing to understand here is that we can treat the motion in the x and the y directions independently. That is, what happens in the x direction does not in any way affect what happens the y direction. We separate the projectile motion into two, the motion of the particles x-coordinate and its y-coordinate. Here is an example problem: A particle is projected from the ground with the initial velocity of 40 m/s at an angle of 600 to the horizontal. How high does it reach? How far away and with what velocity does it hit the ground again? The initial velocity of 40 m/s at an angle of 600 is first split into its x- and y- components. ux = u cos uy = u sin = 40 cos 600 = 20 m/s = 40 sin 600 = 20 3 m/s

40 203 600 20

The accelerations in the two directions are: ax = 0, 2 ay = -g = -9.8 m/s ( we have chosen the upward direction to be the positive y- direction.) To make our calculations easy, from now on we will take g to be 10 m/s2.

We now proceed to apply the three equations we learnt for constant acceleration in 1-D, separately to each of the two directions: v x = u x + ax t v y = u y + ay t s x = u x t + ax t 2 s y = u y t + ay t 2 v x 2 = u x 2 + 2 ax s x v y 2 = u y 2 + 2 ay s y

For our problem: x-direction: vx = ux = 20, sx = uxt = 20 t That is, the x-component of the velocity stays equal to its initial value. This is because there is no force in the x- direction. y-direction: vy = uy - gt = 203 10 t.
At the topmost point the y-component of the velocity is zero. Just before it reaches the top, its y-coordinate is increasing, making vy positive and just after it reaches the top its y-coordinate is decreasing, making vy negative. At the very top, vy is momentarily zero.

vy = 0 =>

203 10 t = 0

=> t = 23 sec.

Now that we know the time it takes to reach the top, we can calculate the maximum height : this is the displacement in the y-direction at t = 2 3 s. sy = 203 (23) (10) (23)2 = 60 m To find where it lands, we calculate its x-displacement at the instant the y-displacement is zero. When it comes back to the same level, the change in the y-coordinate is zero. sy = 203 t - (10) t2 = 0 => t = 0, 43.

The two solutions to the quadratic equation tell us that the y-displacement is zero at t = 0 and at t = 43 s.

This shows that the time taken to go up is equal to the time taken to come down. Is that always true for all projectiles? During 43 seconds, the x-displacement is: 20 x 43 = 803 m This is called the range. To find the final velocity, vy = 203 10(43) = -203 m/s, vx = 20 m/s.

Comments: 1. The x- and the y- directions are treated independently, as though we are solving two 1-D problems. This is true of all vector equations that we deal with. Each vector equation is equivalent to 3 equations ( in 3-D), one for each direction, x,y and z . The projectiles trajectory, however, lies in one plane (why?), so we need only the xand the y- components. F = ma is a vector equation. We solve it by setting up a coordinate system, splitting the vectors into their components, then solving the equation for each direction separately. Similarly , v = u + a t is also a vector equation. We solved each of its component equations separately. 2. I remind you again, the equations that we use are valid only for the case of constant acceleration. This is true as long as the projectile does not go too high (the acceleration due to gravity decreases with height) or so far that the earth cannot be treated as flat. We have also neglected wind resistance.

Circular Motion The velocity of a particle points along the tangent to the path it is following. This is shown in the Calculus Primer.

In the drawing above, the instantaneous velocity of the particle at one instant is shown. A particle moves in a circle with constant speed. Its velocity is not constant of course, since the direction of the velocity keeps changing. The velocity is shown at 3 instants in the drawing below:

Set up a coordinate system so that the center of the circle is at the origin. The radius is R and the particles angular velocity is . Angular velocity is the rate at which the angle that the radius (joining the center to the particle) makes with the x-axis is changing. 0. 1. 2. 3. Show that R = v, where v is the speed of the particle. In terms of the unit vectors i and j, write down the velocity of the particle when it is at (R,0). Write down its velocity when it is at (0,R). How much time has elapsed between the two instants? What is the change in the velocity? Would you say that the particle has accelerated, even though its speed is constant?

4.

What was its average acceleration during this period? Remember that acceleration is a vector: write the answer in terms if its components. What is the direction of the acceleration? Below are the answers: If the net force on a particle is zero, it travels in a straight line at a constant speed. The moment we see that it is not going on a straight line we know that it is accelerating and a force is acting on it. Yes, a force is required to change its direction of motion, even if its speed does not change. Its velocity when it is at (R,0) is vj. Its speed is v, so it takes 2R/v seconds to complete the circle once. Its angular speed is radians/sec, so the time it takes to complete one revolution is : 2/ equating the two, we get v = R. The time it takes to get o the point (0,R) is /(2). Its velocity at (0,R) is -vi. The change in velocity is: -vi vj. Its average acceleration is : -2v ( i + j ) / . It points in the direction shown:

This is the direction in which a constant force would have to act for the duration given in order to produce the given change in the velocity. 5. 6. Do the same exercise for the instants when the particle is at ( R,0) and (-R,0). Do the same for the instants when the particle is at (R,0) and (R/2, R/2). This is the instant when the radius makes an angle of 450 .

You will find that in general different intervals give us different average accelerations. The acceleration is not constant. Instantaneous acceleration Let us first calculate the average acceleration over an interval of time t. After that we will shrink the interval down toward zero: the average acceleration approaches the instantaneous acceleration.
In fact, we define the instantaneous acceleration as the limit of the average acceleration as the time interval approaches zero.

Draw the velocity vectors at two different instants of time (during which the particle has turned through ) then move the vectors so they are tail to tail so that we may draw v, the change in velocity:

v2 v1 v v1 v2

The initial velocity, the final velocity and the change in velocity vectors form an isoscles triangle, since v1 and v2 have the same length. We are talking uniform circular motion. The average acceleration for this interval is v / t . Its direction is along v. The angle between v and v1 is ( - ) /2. Get ready! We are now going to make t smaller and smaller. As t shrinks, shrinks. In fact, = t . What about v? It too shrinks in size. As it shrinks, we can approximate its length by the length of the arc of radius v, angle :

v v v

The length of the arc is: v.

The angle is measured in radians. In fact, the angle in radians is defined as the arc length divided by the radius. Here we are making an arc by rotating the v vector. so the radius of the arc is v.

The thing that I want you to take on faith is that as shrinks, using v for the length of v becomes more and more accurate. We can now see that the magnitude of the average acceleration approaches v: |v/t| v / t = v (= v2 / R = R 2)
We have included other forms of v in brackets

The direction of the acceleration is the direction of v. The angle between v and v1 is ( - ) /2. As t 0, 0, the angle between v and v1 approaches /2. That is, the acceleration becomes perpendicular to the velocity. Since the velocity is tangential, the acceleration points along the radius toward the center (look at the drawings above). To summarize: we start with the average acceleration over a time interval t. we let t 0. In the limit, the acceleration approaches v in magnitude and becomes perpendicular to the velocity. The instantaneous acceleration of a particle moving at constant speed around a circle of radius R points toward the center of the circle and has the magnitude v.
v

1.

A 1.5 kg particle moves in a circle of radius 50 cm at the speed of 20 m/s. What is the angular velocity, the instantaneous acceleration and the net force acting on it? A particle moves in a circle of radius R centered at the origin. If we assume that it is located at (R,0) at t =0, its position vector is given by: r = R cos t i + R sin t j.

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Differentiate r with respect to t to get the velocity as a function of time: v = dr / dt. Show that this vector is perpendicular to r, hence it is tangential. Differentiate it again to get the acceleration: a = dv / dt = d2r / dt2. Show that a points inward along r and has the magnitude R2. 3. Write down r as a function of t for a particle moving in a circle centered at the origin, moving with a speed that is steadily increasing with time: v = at t.
at is the rate of change of the magnitude of the velocity. It is called the tangential acceleration for reasons that will become clear soon. Show that = d/dt = at /R. Write as a function of t, from that r as a function of time.

Differentiate this expression, note that v is tangential. Differentiate it again, note that a is no longer pointing toward the center. Show that the radial component of a (the component that points toward the center at any instant; this direction keeps changing) is v2 / R and the tangential component ( pointing along the velocity vector) is R.
at

ar

4.

A boy whirls a stone tied to a string in a horizontal circle of radius 1m at a height of 2m. The period of revolution is 1s. The string breaks. How far from the boy does the stone land? A particle moves in uniform circular motion with radius 1m, period sec, the circle centered at the point (1,2) of the x-y coordinate system. at t = 0, it is at (2,2). The rotation is anticlockwise. What is the particles displacement during the first 1 sec? What is its average acceleration during this 1 sec? Find the average acceleration during the time that the particles radius vector rotates through an angle of 0.01 radian. Use the fact that for small angles, sin ~ and cos ~ 1, if needed. A particle moves in uniform circular motion with radius R and angular velocity . It is centered at (0,0). Sketch its x vs t and y vs t graphs, where x and y are coordinates.

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Relative Motion We observe phenomena, make measurements, formulate laws, verify laws. We happen to be on a spaceship (called earth ) that is hurtling through space at a tremendous 29.8 km/s (imagine going from Adyar to Mahabs in under 1.5 seconds). Yet this motion is not felt by us. Our experiments reveal that Newtons laws are perfectly valid from our point of view. On the earth we find the same laws are operative as the ones that successfully predict planetary motion or galactic motions.
The earth is also accelerating: after all, it is not moving in a straight line. But this acceleration is small, we are neglecting it in this discussion.

One of the great findings of scientists is that the laws of motion are the same in frames of reference that move with constant velocity with respect to each other. This is called the principle of relativity. The principle of relativity was discovered by Galileo.

t = t1

t = t2

What Galileo did, was have one of his cronies standing on top of the mast of a fast moving ship drop a ball. By the time the ball landed, the ship had moved some distance. Did the ball drop behind the mast? Nope. It dropped right under the release point, just as would have been the case had the ship not been moving. That is, from the point of view of Galileos friend, the ball just dropped down, same as if the ship was stationary. Galileo stood on the bank watching. From His point of view, the ball moved in a parabolic arc, landing further down, as shown by the dotted line. From his point of view (shortened to POV from now

on) , the ball had an initial velocity, it moved in the correct trajectory predicted by the same equations.
We have what are called two frames of reference, Galileos and his friends. In Galileos frame of reference there is an x-y-z-coordinate system that is stationary with respect to Galileo. He also has clocks that are stationary with respect to him. He makes measurements using this coordinate system and clocks. There is another frame of reference, that of Galileos friend, which is moving with respect to Galileos. Imagine that there is another set of x-y-z-axes that are moving with the ships velocity. All the positions of objects are being given in this coordinate system by Gs friend. This is not very difficult to imagine since we on earth measure everything with respect to us, and we are moving with respect to the sun. Gs friend would say that that tree on the bank was moving with the velocity v and that his ship was stationary. G on the other hand, would say that the tree was stationary and the ship was moving with the velocity v.

In this section we are going to learn how to find the velocity of an object in one frame when we know it in another. Consider two frames of reference, S and S/ ; S/ moves with the velocity u with respect to S.

ut

S/

For simplicity we assume that they coincide at t = 0. At time t the displacement of S/ is ut from S. Again, for simplicity, the drawing shows u pointing along the x-direction, but this need not be.

vt ut v t

S/

On the left we see a ball at time t=0, located at the position shown. At this time frames S and S/ are coincident. During time t, the frame S/ moves by u t. Had the ball been stationary with respect to S/ , then it would be located at the position displaced by u t from its original location. This is shown with dotted lines. The ball however, moves with the velocity v w.r.t. the frame S/ . So in the S/ frame it suffers a displacement of vt. Seen from the stationary frame S, its displacement during t is v t. You can see that v t = v t + u t. v = v + u.

The velocity of a particle in a frame S is the vector sum of the particles velocity in another frame S/ with the velocity of S/ with respect to S.
In one dimension: If a train is moving with the velocity of 20 m/s, a passenger inside the train rolls a ball along the floor of the train with a velocity of 6 m/s ( in the same direction as the trains velocity), the velocity of the ball as seen from outside is 26 m/s. In two dimensions: A car has the velocity 20 i + 30j m/s as seen from the stationary earth frame. a train has the velocity 30i + 40 j m/s as seen from the same frame. The velocity of the car as seen by an observer on the train is: v = v u = 50i 10j. car seen from train train

car

The River and boat problem A boat is capable of moving with the speed v in still water. A river flows at the speed of u. If the boat moves in the river, with what speed and in which direction does it end up moving? We use relative velocities to solve the problem. Consider a frame of reference moving with the river. Its velocity is u as seen from the ground. In this frame, the water is not moving. The speed of the boat in this frame is therefore, v. Lets say that the boat is pointed in a direction , its velocity vector being v.
u

v is the velocity of the boat in the moving frame, the frame moves with the velocity u, so the velocity of the boat as seen from the ground is : v = v + u. The boat ends up moving in the direction of v. The boat is kept pointed at the angle , it moves along v. Shown below are the boats positions at different instants of time.
u

Problem set 1. 2. 3. A bullet fired with a velocity of 400 m/s at an angle of 600 with the horizon. How far up will it go and when will it land? solution A ball rolls off a 1m high table with a speed of 2 m/s. How far from the base of the table will it land? solution A cannonball is fired from the base of a 300 hill with an initial velocity of 100 m/s. The initial angle of the projectile is 600 with the horizontal. How far up the hill will it land?

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solution A plane is flying horizontally at an altitude of 200m at a speed of 300 m/s. How far before the target should the pilot release a bomb? solution A plane flying horizontally at a height of 100m at a speed of 120 m/s wishes to hit a tank that is moving toward it on the ground with a speed of 6 m/s. How far (horizontal distance) from it should it release its bomb? solution A projectile leaves the ground at an angle of 450 with a speed of 40 m/s. at a distance of 20m from it the ground slopes away at angle of 300 to the horizontal. At what horizontal distance from its starting point will the projectile hit the ground?

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solution The roof of a house slants at an angle of 450. a ball rolls down off it at a speed of 20 m/s. If the edge of the roof is 4m above the ground, how far away from it does the ball land? solution

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At a height of 8m, a stone is found to be moving with a horizontal velocity of 10 m/s. What was its velocity when it was projected from the ground? solution A target is at a height of 2m above the ground and 20m away. At what point must a gun be aimed? The gun is 1m above the ground and the bullets speed is 300 m/s as it leaves the gun. solution Show that a bomb released from a horizontally flying plane stays directly underneath the plane as it falls if the plane maintains its velocity. This means that the pilot had better change course if she does not want the bomb going off directly under the plane. In reality, air friction slows the bomb so that it explodes behind the plane if the plane maintains its velocity. Show that the bomb stays directly beneath the plane even if the plane were climbing at an angle or diving at an angle. solution A gun is aimed at a target which is at the same level. at the instant that the bullet leaves the gun the target is dropped so that it falls from rest.

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Show that the bullet still hits the target. Show that this happens even if the target were initially not at the same level as the gun, as long as the gun was aimed at it and the target is released at the same instant that the bullet is fired. solution A ball rolls off the top of a staircase. The stairs are 20 cm wide and 20 cm high. If it rolls off with an initial speed of 2 m/s, which step will it hit? solution A basketball player releases the ball from a height of 3m and a horizontal distance of 10m from the basket. The ball leaves her hand at a 600 angle. With what speed must the ball be released if the height of the basket is 4m? solution

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A steady force 20i 30j Newtons acts on a particle of mass 2 kg that starts out at time t = 0 with the velocity 10i + 10j m/s. What is the particles displacement and velocity at the end of 4 seconds? solution A 1kg particle has the initial velocity 4i + 4j m/s. What steady force must act on it so that at t=4 sec its velocity is 4i 4j m/s? solution Rain is falling at an angle of 300 with the vertical with a velocity of 16 m/s. With what velocity must you move in order to perceive the rain as falling vertically? To perceive it falling at an angle of 450 with the vertical? Two trains are moving on parallel tracks, with velocities of 30 m/s for train A and 20 m/s for train B in the same direction. A person in train A throws a ball with an initial velocity of 40 m/s at an angle of 600 with the horizontal, as seen in her frame. What is the velocity of the ball ( magnitude nd angle) as seen from train B? A river flows at the speed of 4 m/s. A boat is capable of moving at 6 m/s in still water. In which direction must the boat be pointed in order to get to a point directly across? A river which flows at 6 m/s is 80 m wide. A boat is capable of going at 10 m/s in still water. What is the minimum time in which it can get to the other side? How long would it take if it had to get to a point directly across? A plane can fly at 300 m/s in still air. A 60 m/s wind is blowing in the north easterly direction. In which direction should the plane be pointed in order to head north? How long will it take to get to a city 400 km due north? An elevator is moving upward at a constant velocity of 4 m/s when an occupant drops a coin from a height of 1m. How long will the coin take to hit the ground? What if the elevator had a constant acceleration of 5 m/s2 upward and the coin was dropped at the instant that the elevator was moving up with the velocity 2 m/s?

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SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS OF PROJECTILE MOTION Answer to problem 1 Take the origin at the point where the bullet is fired, vertically upward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = (400m/s)cos60 = 200 m/s uy = (400m/s)sin60 = 2003 m/s When the ball falls on the ground, y = 0 Using, y = uyt gt2 0 = (2003m/s)t (10m/s2)t2 Or, t = 403 s = 69.2 s (ans) Thus it takes 69.2 seconds for the bullet to land. The horizontal distance traveled before falling to the ground is x = uxt = (200m/s)(69.2s) = 13856 m (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 2 Take the origin at the point where the ball rolls off the table, vertically downward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = 2 m/s uy = 0 When the ball falls on the ground, y = 1m Using, y = uyt + gt2 1m = (10m/s2)t2 or, t = 1/5 s = 0.447 s Thus it takes 0.447 seconds for the ball to land The horizontal distance traveled before falling to the ground is x = uxt = (2m/s)(0.447s) = 0.894 m (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 3 Take the origin at the point of projection, perpendicular to the incline upward as the Y axis and along the incline in the plane of motion as the X axis. So in the frame chosen the direction of projection is making an angle of 300 with the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = (100m/s)cos30 = 503 m/s uy = (100m/s)sin30 = 50 m/s The acceleration has the components ax = - gsin30 = -g/2 = -5 m/s2 ay = - gcos30 = -g(3/2) = - 53 m/s2 When the ball falls on the incline, y = 0 Using, y = uyt + (ay)t2 0 = (50m/s)t + (- 53 m/s2) t2 t = 11.54 s Thus it takes 11.54 seconds for the ball to land on th incline The distance traveled along the incline before falling to the incline is x = uxt + (ax) t2 = (503m/s)(11.54 s) + (-5m/s2)(11.54 s)2 = 666.46 m (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 4 Take the origin at the point where the bomb is released, vertically downward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = 300 m/s uy = 0 When the bomb falls on the ground, y = 200 m Using, y = uyt + gt2 200m = (10m/s2)t2 or, t = 40 s = 6.324 s Thus it takes 6.324 seconds for the bomb to land The horizontal distance traveled before falling to the ground is x = uxt = (300m/s)(6.324s) = 1897.2 m The bomb moves 1897.2 meters before landing on the ground. So, it should be released 1897.2 meters before the target. Back to Problem

Answer to problem 5 Take the origin at the point where the bomb is released, vertically downward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity of the bomb has the components ux = 120 m/s uy = 0 When the bomb falls on the ground, y = 100 m Using, y = uyt + gt2 100m = (10m/s2)t2 or, t = 20 s = 4.472 s Thus it takes 4.472 seconds for the bomb to land The horizontal distance traveled before falling to the ground is x = uxt = (120m/s)(4.472s) = 536.64 m The bomb moves 536.64 meters before landing on the ground. In the meantime the tank moves in the horizontal direction by a distance equal to vtankt = (6m/s)(4.472) = 26.83 m let the bomb be dropped x meters behind the target so, x + distance moved by tank = horiz. Distance traveled by bomb or, x + 26.83 = 536.64 => x = 509.81 m So, the bomb should be released 509.81 meters before the target. Back to Problem

Answer to problem 6 Take the origin at the point where the projectile is projected, vertically upward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis The initial velocity has the components ux = (40m/s)cos45 = 202 m/s uy = (40m/s)sin45 = 202 m/s let the projectile hit the ground after a horizontal distance of x When the projectile hits the ground, y = - (x-20)tan30 Time of flight =t = x/ ux = x/(202) Using, y = uyt - gt2 - (x-20)tan30 = (202)( x/(202)) - (10)( x/(202))2 solving we get , Back to Problem x = 270.454 m (ans)

Answer to problem 7 Take the origin at the point where the ball leaves the roof, vertically downward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = (20m/s)cos45 = 102 m/s uy = (20m/s)sin45 = 102 m/s When the ball falls on the ground, y = 4 m Using, y = uyt + gt2 4m = (102 m/s)t + (10m/s2)t2 or, t = 0.259 s Thus it takes 0.259 seconds for the ball to land The horizontal distance traveled before falling to the ground is x = uxt = (102 m/s)(0.259s) = 3.66 m (ans) So the ball lands 3.66 meters away from the point it leaves the roof. Back to Problem

Answer to problem 8 At height 8m velocity is only in the horizontal direction, implies that this point is the highest point of the trajectory. Let u be the velocity of projection and The initial velocity has the components ux = u cos uy = u sin at the highest point v =0 ; h = 8m Using, v2 = uy2 2gh 0 = uy2 - 2108 uy = 410 m/s ux remains unchanged throughout the trajectory so, ux = velocity at highest position = 10 m./s hence we get ux = u cos = 10 m/s -------------------------- (A) uy = u sin = 410 m/s ----------------------- (B) dividing B by A gives tan = 4/10 or, or, = 51.67 degrees u = ux /cos = 16.12 m/s (ans) Back to Problem be the angle of projection.

Answer to problem 9 Take the origin at the point where the gun is fired, vertically upward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. Let angle of firing be The initial velocity has the components ux = (300m/s) cos uy = (300m/s) sin When the bullet hits the target, y = 1 m, x = 20 m Time taken to hit the target = (20/ ux) = 20/ (300 cos ) Using, y = uyt - gt2 Or, 1 = (300) sin (20/ (300 cos )) - 10(20/ (300cos))2 1 = 20 tan - 2000/(90000 cos2) 1 = 20tan - 1/45sec2 1 = 20tan - 1/45(1 + tan2 ) 45= 900tan - 1 - tan2 solving we get , tan = 0.1022 degrees let the person aim at a point x meters above the target tan = 0.1022 = (x+1)/20 x = 1.044 m (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 10 Let the plane moves in the horizontal direction with a speed u. As no force is acting on the bomb in the horizontal direction there would not be any relative velocity between the plane and the bomb. So the bomb would not move in the horizontal direction with respect to the plane. In the second case when the plane is climbing at an angle say with the horizontal: In this case also the horizontal component of planes velocity will be equal to the horizontal velocity of the bomb. So, the bomb will always be underneath the plane. Back to Problem

Answer to problem 11 Let distance between the target and the gun be x and initial velocity of the gun be v in the horizontal direction. Velocity of the bullet in the vertical direction is zero, also the initial velocity of the target is zero so both the bullet and the target will be at the same vertical level at all instances of time and hence the target will be achieved. In second case when the target and the gun are not at the same level and the gun is aimed at the target. Take the origin at the point where the gun is fired, Let the target be at a height h above the gun level and its horizontal distance be L.

Let the bullets velocity be ux in the horiz. and uy in the vert. direction. So time taken = L / ux As the gun is aiming at the target, h / L = tan = uy / ux Using, y = y0+ uyt - gt2 = 0 + uy L/ux (10)(L /ux)2 ----------------------------(1)

for the target using, y = y0+ uyt - gt2 y = h (10)(L /ux)2 = L uy / ux - (10)(L/ux)2 --------------------- (2) from (1) & (2) its clear that both target and the bullet will be at the same vertical level when the bullet has traveled a horizontal distance of L towards the target. Hence the bullet will hit the target. Back to Problem

Answer to problem 12 Take the origin at the point where the ball leaves the top, vertically downward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis. The initial velocity has the components ux = (2m/s) uy = 0 let the ball hit the steps after traveling a distance of x. so time taken = x/ux = x/2 sec using y = uyt + gt2 y = 10(x/2)2 so the balls falls down by a distance 5x2/4 before hitting the steps. Let the ball hits n th step Then Or, Also, Or, Back to Problem 0.2n = 5x2/4 x = (0.16n) ----------------------------(1) x = 0.2n ---------------------------- (2) n=4

From 1 & 2 we get 0.2n = (0.16n) (ans)

Answer to problem 13 Take the origin at the point where the ball is released, vertically upward as the Y axis and horizontal in the plane of motion as the X axis let the speed of release be u. The initial velocity has the components ux = u cos 60 = u/2 uy = u sin 60 = u3/2 To achieve the basket the ball has to move 10 m in the horizontal direction and 1 m upward at the same time. Time taken = 10/ ux = 20/u In this time the ball has to cover 1 m vertically Using, y = uyt - gt2 1 = (u3/2)( 20/u) 10(20/u)2 Solving, we get u = 10.74 m/s (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 14 Given the force of 2 kg mass as 20i 30j So the acceleration vector is 10i 15j Initial velocity is given as 10i + 10j Using v(t) = (ux + axt)i + (uy + ayt)j We get v(4) = (10 +104)i + (10 154 )j = 50i 50j (ans) for displacement using, s(t) = (uxt + axt2)i + (uyt + ayt2)j we get s(4) = (104 + 1016 )i + (104 + (-15)16)j = 120i 80j (ans) Back to Problem

Answer to problem 15 Let the value of steady force be (ai + bj) N , as mass is 1 kg acceleration vector will be (ai + bj) m/s2 initial velocity is 4i + 4j , final velocity is 4i 4j using, v(t) = (ux + axt)i + (uy + ayt)j 4i 4j = (4 + a4)i + (4 + b4)j from the above equation equating I and j components we get. 4 = 4 + a4 => a = 0 -4 = 4 + b4 => b= -2 hence the steady force required is (-2)j N (ans) Back to Problem

1.

Student A writes down the vector a = 4i + 3j in a coordinate system. Student B uses a coordinate system where the x-axis is rotated (anticlockwise) by an angle of 450 with respect to the axes that student A uses. What does student B write for the same vector?
y y x

In the drawing above, student Bs axes are labeled x and y. 2. A ball is thrown from a height of 1m at a wall that is 8m away. The initial velocity is 10i + 10j m/s in the usual coordinate system. Assuming that the ball bounces in such a manner that its angle of incidence is equal to its angle of reflection and its speed before collision is equal to its speed after collision, where does it land? 3. An object moves 10m at an angle of 600 south of east, then 20m south, then 20m at an angle of 300 west of north. How far is it from its starting point?