PROJECTILE MOTION

Projectile is a body thrown with an initial velocity in the vertical plane and then it moves in two dimensions under the action of gravity alone without being propelled by any engine or fuel. Its motion is called projectile motion.The path of a projectile is called its trajectory. Gravity, being a downward force, causes a projectile to accelerate in the downward direction. The force of gravity could never alter the horizontal velocity of an object since perpendicular components of motion are independent of each other. A vertical force does not effect a horizontal motion. The result of a vertical force acting upon a horizontally moving object is to cause the object to deviate from its otherwise linear path. This is depicted in the animation below Examples: 1. 2. 3. 4. A packet released from an airplane in flight. A golf ball in flight. A bullet fired from a rifle. A jet of water from a hole near the bottom of a water tank.

Projectile motion is a case of two-dimensional motion .Any case of two dimensional motion can be resolved into two cases of one dimensional motion -one along the x-axis and the other along the y-axis.The two cases can be studied separately as two cases of one dimensional motion.The results from two cases can be combined using vector algebra to see the net result A body can be projected in two ways : 1. Horizontal projection-When the body is given an initial velocity in the horizontal direction only. 2. Angular projection-When the body is thrown with an initial velocity at an angle to the horizontal direction. We will study the two cases separately. We will neglect the effect of air resistance. We will take x-axis along the horizontal direction and y-axis along the vertical direction.

Case 1: Horizontlal Projection

A body is thrown with an initial velocity u along the horizontal direction.We will study the motion along x and y axis separately.We will take the starting point to be at the origin.

Case 2: Angular Projection

We will now consider the case when the object is projected with an initial velocity u at an angle to the horizontal direction. We assume that there is no air resistance .Also since the body first goes up and then comes down after reaching the highest point , we will use the Cartesian

convention for signs of different physical quantities.The acceleration due to gravity 'g' will be negative as it acts downwards. We will separate the motion into horizontal motion (motion along x-axis) and vertical motion (motion along yaxis) .We will study x-motion and y-motion separately. Given the original conditions with which the projectile is thrown we will proceed to find the components of the original velocity and then move on to answer the following questions: Path (trajectory) of the Projectile How much time passes till the projectile is at the top of its flight? How high does the projectile rise? How much time passes till the projectile strikes the ground? How far away does the projectile land from its starting point?

Original, or initial, conditions:

The original conditions are the size of the velocity and the angle above the horizontal with which the projectile is thrown. Original size of velocity Original angle X component of original velocity Y component of original velocity : : : : vo vox = vo cos ( ) voy = vo sin ( )

x velocity V0x = V0cos Original velocity V0

Path (trajectory) of the Projectile:

The initial velocity of the projectile Vo at t = 0 makes an angle with the positive x direction. The x and y component of Vo is given by vox = vocos( ) and voy = vosin( ) (1)

y velocityV0y = V0sin

Because there is no horizontal component of acceleration and vertical component of velocity after any arbitrary

y After time t vy v voy vo t=0 vox

time t is given by vx = vocos( ) and vy = vosin( ) +at (2)

Fig: The path of a projectile

vx

The magnitude of the resultant velocity vector, v =

(v

2 x

2 + vy

(3)

The angle that the velocity vector makes with the horizontal at that instant is given by,

tan =

vy vx

(4)

The displacement along x and y axis at any time t is given as x = vocos( )t and y = vosin( )t + (5)

1 2 ayt 2 x v o cos

(6)

From equation (5), t =

Substituting the value of t in equation (6) we get,

Therefore

y = v o sin

x 1 x2 + ay 2 v o cos 2 v o cos 2
(7)

1 1 y = (tan )x + ( a y 2 )x 2 2 2 v o cos

This is the equation of the projectile. Since , vo and ay = -g are constant, this equation has the form, y = ax + bx2, the equation of a parabola. Hence the trajectory of a projectile is a parabola.

How much time passes until the projectile is at the top of its trajectory?
At the top of the trajectory the y, or upward, velocity of the projectile will be 0.0 m/s. The object is still moving at this moment, but its velocity is purely horizontal. At the top it is not moving up or down, only across. Notice that the object is still in motion at the top of the trajectory; however, its velocity is completely horizontal. It has stopped going up and is about to begin going down. Therefore, its y velocity is 0.0 m/s. We need to find out how much time passes from the time of the throw until the time when the y velocity of the projectile becomes 0.0 m/s. We will call this amount of time 'the half time of flight', since the projectile will spend one half of its time of flight rising to the top of its trajectory. It will spend the second half of its time of flight moving downward. We can use the following kinematics equation:

Vf = V0 + at
Subscript it for y:

y velocity = 0.0 m/s

Vfy = V0 y + ay t
Solve it for t:

t=

Vfy V0 y ay

Plug in 0.0 m/s for Vfy :

t=

0.0m / s V0 y ay

(8)

If the original y velocity and the y acceleration, i. e., the acceleration due to gravity, are plugged into the above equation, it will solve for the amount of time that passes from the moment of release to the moment when the projectile is at the top of its flight. We know, voy = vosin and ay = - g

Then the time at which the vy is zero t =

V 0 sin V 0 sin = g g

(9)

How high does the projectile rise?

Here you need to find the displacement in the y direction at the time when the projectile is at the top of its flight. We have just found the time at which the projectile is at the top of its flight. Here is the displacement formula:

d = V0t +

1 2 at 2

y displacement when at top

We must think of this displacement in the y direction, so we will subscript this formula for y:

d y = V0 y t +

1 ay t 2 2

(10)

If now we plug in the half time of flight, which was found above, we will solve for the height of the trajectory, since the projectile is at its maximum height at this time.

voy = vosin , ay = -g,

t=

0.0m / s V0 y ay
2

V0 y g

Then d y = V 0 y

V0 y

V0 y 1 + ( g ) g g 2

dy =
Or

1 2 1 2 Voy Voy g 2g

1 2 1 = Voy g 2g 1 2 = Voy 2g 1 2 v o sin 2 2g

dy =

(11)

How much time passes until the projectile strikes the ground?
With no air resistance, the projectile will spend an equal amount of time rising to the top of its projectile as it spends falling from the top to the ground. Since we have already found the half time of flight, we need only to double that value to get the total time of flight. Total time T = 2t We know t =

V 0 sin , g

Then the total time T = 2

V 0 sin g

(12)

How far away does the projectile land from its starting point?
The distance from the starting point on the ground to the landing point on the ground is called the range of the trajectory. This range is a displacement in the x direction. It is governed by the x velocity of the projectile. This x velocity does not change during the flight of the projectile. The x velocity remains constant because there are no accelerations in the x direction. The only acceleration is in the y direction, and this is due to the vertical pull of gravity. Gravity does not pull horizontally. Therefore, the calculation for the range is simplified.

5
Range

Let us start with the general displacement formula:

d = V0t +

1 2 at 2

Since we are working in the x direction, we should subscript this equation for x:

d x = V0 x t +

1 axt 2 2

Now, since the acceleration in the x direction is 0.0 m/s2, the second term in the above equation drops out, and we are left with:

d x = V0 x t
The velocity in the x direction does not change. The projectile maintains its original x velocity throughout its entire flight. So, the original x velocity is the only x velocity the projectile will have. We could, therefore, think of the last equation as:

d x = Vx t

(13)

If we plug in the original x velocity for vx and the total time of flight for t, we will solve for the horizontal displacement, or range, of the trajectory. Put vx = vocos( ) Then, dx = vo cos Range dx = R =

t =2

V0 y ay

=2

v o sin g

2 2v o sin vo 2 sin cos = g g

2 vo sin 2 g

(14)

When a projectile is projected some height h above the ground: