1 Background

1.1 Position, Velocity, and Acceleration

The typical approach to determining the position and movement of a particle (or object) is using a three-dimensional
position vector, 𝒓. The position vector extends from a reference point to the particle. Resolving the position vector
into rectangular unit-vector components, we can define the position as:

𝒓 = 𝑥𝒊 + 𝑦𝒋 + 𝑧𝒌 (1.1)

where 𝑥𝒊, 𝑦𝒋, and 𝑧𝒌 are the vector components of 𝒓.

Figure 1.1: Position vector 𝒓 defined as the vector sum of its components

As the particle moves, its position vector changes as the values of the components are modified over time. We can
therefore express the velocity of a particle as the displacement of the position vector over time, 𝑡, as follows:

△ 𝒓 = (𝑥𝑡2 − 𝑥𝑡1 )𝒊 + (𝑦𝑡2 − 𝑦𝑡1 )𝒋 + (𝑧𝑡2 − 𝑧𝑡1 )𝒌 (1.2)

This approach can be similarly applied to derive an expression of the acceleration of the particle as the difference
in the particle velocity over time.

Alternatively, if the coordinates of the particle are expressed as functions of time, 𝑡, then we can differentiate their
values in order to obtain the velocity and acceleration of the particle as follows:

𝑑𝒓 𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑦 𝑑𝑧
𝒗= = 𝒊+ 𝒋+ 𝒌
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡 (1.3)
= 𝒓̇ = 𝑥𝒊̇ + 𝑦𝒋̇ + 𝑧𝒌̇

𝑑𝒗
𝒂= = 𝑥𝒊̈ + 𝑦𝒋̈ + 𝑧𝒌
̈ (1.4)
𝑑𝑡

The scalar components of the velocity and acceleration are therefore:

QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student 2

 𝑣𝑥 = 𝑥̇ 𝑣 𝑦 = 𝑦 ̇ 𝑣𝑧 = 𝑧 ̇
(1.5)
𝑎𝑥 = 𝑥̈ 𝑎𝑦 = 𝑦 ̈ 𝑎𝑧 = 𝑧 ̈

1.2 Newton's Second Law

Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the net force on a body is equal to the product of the body's mass times
its acceleration. This can be expressed mathematically as the following vector equation.

𝑭net = m 𝒂. (1.6)

Here, 𝑭net is the total resultant force vector of a body with mass 𝑚 subject to the acceleration vector 𝒂. This
expression can be decomposed in its components as

Fnet,x = m 𝒂x , Fnet,y = m 𝒂y , and Fnet,z = m 𝒂z . (1.7)

QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student v 1.0

2 Projectile Motion

Figure 2.1: Motion of a projectile

For the special case of the motion of a projectile, let us assume that a projectile refers to a particle that moves in a
vertical plane with an initial velocity, 𝑣0 , and is subject to a free-fall acceleration downward of 𝑔, due to gravity. The
components of the acceleration of a projectile are thus:

𝑎𝑥 = 𝑥̈ = 0 𝑎𝑦 = 𝑦 ̈ = −𝑔 𝑎𝑧 = 𝑧 ̈ = 0 (2.1)

if the resistance of the air is neglected. If the initial coordinates of the projectile are expressed as 𝑥0 , 𝑦0 , and 𝑧0 , and
the initial velocity of the projectile as 𝑣𝑥0 , 𝑣𝑦0 , and 𝑣𝑧0 then we can integrate twice over time to yield the following
equations of motion:

𝑣𝑥 = 𝑣𝑥0 𝑣𝑦 = 𝑣𝑦0 − 𝑔𝑡 𝑣𝑧 = 0
1 (2.2)
𝑥 = 𝑣𝑥0 𝑡 𝑦 = 𝑣𝑦0 − 𝑔𝑡2 𝑧=0
2

QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student 4

2.1 Problem Statement

Figure 2.2: Motion of the projectile from the catapult

The catapult on the QNET Physics and Dynamics board uses a stainless steel torsion spring to launch a table tennis
ball. When the arm is pulled back and locked in its initial position 10 cm above the surface of a table, it applies a
torque to the catapult arm of 0.28 N m. If the length of the arm from the pivot to the ball-holder is 22.9 cm, and the
hard-stop is set at an angle of 30°, the arm accelerates to a rotational velocity of 510 °/s when the arm reaches the
hard-stop at 30°. If we neglect air resistance, what is the range of the ball?

QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student v 1.0

2.2 Validation
In this section you will compare your theoretical solution to the projectile motion problem in Section 2.1 to the
behaviour of the actual hardware.

1. Position the NI ELVIS II so that you have at least one meter of space downrange from the catapult.

2. Open the QNET P and D - Projectile Motion.vi. Make sure the correct Device is chosen.
3. Run the VI, and pull back the catapult arm until it locks in the horizontal position.

4. Ensure that the pin that acts as the catapult hard-stop is inserted into the 30∘ position (second from the bottom).
5. Place the ball in the ball holder.

6. Have a friend ready to watch the trajectory of the ball to mark where it lands.
7. When ready, push the FIRE button.

8. Stop the VI, and measure the distance from the ball to the back of the NI ELVIS II. Add 26 cm to your measured
distance to take into account the distance from the back of the NI ELVIS II to the release position of the ball at
30°.
9. Compare the measured range to the theoretical range of the ball that you found in Section 2.1. If the two values
do not match, why do you think there is a difference?
10. Click on the Stop button to stop the VI.

QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student 6

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QNET PHYSICS AND DYNAMICS Workbook - Student v 1.0