2/16/2017 KinematicEquationsandFreeFall

KinematicEquationsandFreeFall
KinematicEquations
KinematicEquationsandProblemSolving
KinematicEquationsandFreeFall
SampleProblemsandSolutions
KinematicEquationsandGraphs

AsmentionedinLesson5,afreefallingobjectisanobjectthatisfallingunderthesoleinfluenceof
gravity.Thatistosaythatanyobjectthatismovingandbeingactedupononlybetheforceofgravityis
saidtobe"inastateoffreefall."Suchanobjectwillexperienceadownwardaccelerationof9.8m/s/s.
Whethertheobjectisfallingdownwardorrisingupwardtowardsitspeak,ifitisunderthesole
influenceofgravity,thenitsaccelerationvalueis9.8m/s/s.
Likeanymovingobject,themotionofanobjectinfreefallcanbedescribedbyfourkinematic
equations.Thekinematicequationsthatdescribeanyobject'smotionare:

Thesymbolsintheaboveequationhaveaspecificmeaning:thesymboldstandsfor
thedisplacementthesymboltstandsforthetimethesymbolastandsfortheaccelerationofthe
objectthesymbolvistandsfortheinitialvelocityvalueandthesymbolvfstandsforthefinal
velocity.


ApplyingFreeFallConceptstoProblemSolving
Thereareafewconceptualcharacteristicsoffreefallmotionthatwillbeofvaluewhenusingthe
equationstoanalyzefreefallmotion.Theseconceptsaredescribedasfollows:
Anobjectinfreefallexperiencesanaccelerationof9.8m/s/s.(Thesignindicatesadownward
acceleration.)Whetherexplicitlystatedornot,thevalueoftheaccelerationinthekinematic
equationsis9.8m/s/sforanyfreelyfallingobject.
Ifanobjectismerelydropped(asopposedtobeingthrown)fromanelevatedheight,thentheinitial
velocityoftheobjectis0m/s.
Ifanobjectisprojectedupwardsinaperfectlyverticaldirection,thenitwillslowdownasitrises
upward.Theinstantatwhichitreachesthepeakofitstrajectory,itsvelocityis0m/s.Thisvaluecan
beusedasoneofthemotionparametersinthekinematicequationsforexample,thefinalvelocity
(vf)aftertravelingtothepeakwouldbeassignedavalueof0m/s.
Ifanobjectisprojectedupwardsinaperfectlyverticaldirection,thenthevelocityatwhichitis
projectedisequalinmagnitudeandoppositeinsigntothevelocitythatithaswhenitreturnstothe
sameheight.Thatis,aballprojectedverticallywithanupwardvelocityof+30m/swillhavea
downwardvelocityof30m/swhenitreturnstothesameheight.
Thesefourprinciplesandthefourkinematicequationscanbecombinedtosolveproblemsinvolvingthe
motionoffreefallingobjects.Thetwoexamplesbelowillustrateapplicationoffreefallprinciplesto
kinematicproblemsolving.Ineachexample,theproblemsolvingstrategythatwasintroducedearlierin
thislessonwillbeutilized.


ExampleProblemA
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LukeAutbeloedropsapileofroofshinglesfromthetopofarooflocated8.52metersabovetheground.
Determinethetimerequiredfortheshinglestoreachtheground.
Thesolutiontothisproblembeginsbytheconstructionofaninformativediagramofthephysical
situation.Thisisshownbelow.Thesecondstepinvolvestheidentificationandlistingofknown
informationinvariableform.Youmightnotethatinthestatementoftheproblem,thereisonlyone
pieceofnumericalinformationexplicitlystated:8.52meters.Thedisplacement(d)oftheshinglesis
8.52m.(Thesignindicatesthatthedisplacementisdownward).Theremaininginformationmustbe
extractedfromtheproblemstatementbaseduponyourunderstandingoftheaboveprinciples.For
example,thevivaluecanbeinferredtobe0m/ssincetheshinglesaredropped(releasedfrom
restseenoteabove).Andtheacceleration(a)oftheshinglescanbeinferredtobe9.8m/s2sincethe
shinglesarefreefalling(seenoteabove).(Alwayspaycarefulattentiontothe+andsignsforthe
givenquantities.)Thenextstepofthesolutioninvolvesthelistingoftheunknown(ordesired)
informationinvariableform.Inthiscase,theproblemrequestsinformationaboutthetimeoffall.Sotis
theunknownquantity.Theresultsofthefirstthreestepsareshowninthetablebelow.
Diagram: Given: Find:
vi=0.0m/s
d=8.52m
t=??
a=9.8m/s2
Thenextstepinvolvesidentifyingakinematicequationthatallowsyoutodeterminetheunknown
quantity.Therearefourkinematicequationstochoosefrom.Ingeneral,youwillalwayschoosethe
equationthatcontainsthethreeknownandtheoneunknownvariable.Inthisspecificcase,thethree
knownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariableared,vi,a,andt.Thus,youwilllookforanequation
thathasthesefourvariableslistedinit.Aninspectionofthefourequationsaboverevealsthatthe
equationonthetopleftcontainsallfourvariables.
d=vit+at2
Oncetheequationisidentifiedandwrittendown,thenextstepinvolvessubstitutingknownvaluesinto
theequationandusingproperalgebraicstepstosolvefortheunknowninformation.Thisstepisshown
below.
8.52m=(0m/s)(t)+(9.8m/s2)(t)2
8.52m=(0m)*(t)+(4.9m/s2)(t)2
8.52m=(4.9m/s2)(t)2
(8.52m)/(4.9m/s2)=t2
1.739s2=t2
t=1.32s
Thesolutionaboverevealsthattheshingleswillfallforatimeof1.32secondsbeforehittingthe
ground.(Notethatthisvalueisroundedtothethirddigit.)
Thelaststepoftheproblemsolvingstrategyinvolvescheckingtheanswertoassurethatitisboth
reasonableandaccurate.Thevalueseemsreasonableenough.Theshinglesarefallingadistanceof
approximately10yards(1meterisprettycloseto1yard)itseemsthatananswerbetween1and2
secondswouldbehighlyreasonable.Thecalculatedtimeeasilyfallswithinthisrangeofreasonability.
Checkingforaccuracyinvolvessubstitutingthecalculatedvaluebackintotheequationfortimeand
insuringthattheleftsideoftheequationisequaltotherightsideoftheequation.Indeeditis!

ExampleProblemB
RexThingsthrowshismother'scrystalvaseverticallyupwardswithaninitialvelocityof26.2m/s.
Determinetheheighttowhichthevasewillriseaboveitsinitialheight.
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2/16/2017 KinematicEquationsandFreeFall

Oncemore,thesolutiontothisproblembeginsbytheconstructionofaninformativediagramofthe
physicalsituation.Thisisshownbelow.Thesecondstepinvolvestheidentificationandlistingofknown
informationinvariableform.Youmightnotethatinthestatementoftheproblem,thereisonlyone
pieceofnumericalinformationexplicitlystated:26.2m/s.Theinitialvelocity(vi)ofthevaseis+26.2
m/s.(The+signindicatesthattheinitialvelocityisanupwardsvelocity).Theremaininginformation
mustbeextractedfromtheproblemstatementbaseduponyourunderstandingoftheaboveprinciples.
Notethatthevfvaluecanbeinferredtobe0m/ssincethefinalstateofthevaseisthepeakofits
trajectory(seenoteabove).Theacceleration(a)ofthevaseis9.8m/s2(seenoteabove).Thenext
stepinvolvesthelistingoftheunknown(ordesired)informationinvariableform.Inthiscase,the
problemrequestsinformationaboutthedisplacementofthevase(theheighttowhichitrisesaboveits
startingheight).Sodistheunknowninformation.Theresultsofthefirstthreestepsareshowninthe
tablebelow.
Diagram: Given: Find:

vi=26.2m/s
vf=0m/s
d=??
a=9.8m/s2

Thenextstepinvolvesidentifyingakinematicequationthatwouldallowyoutodeterminetheunknown
quantity.Therearefourkinematicequationstochoosefrom.Again,youwillalwayssearchforan
equationthatcontainsthethreeknownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariable.Inthisspecificcase,
thethreeknownvariablesandtheoneunknownvariablearevi,vf,a,andd.Aninspectionofthefour
equationsaboverevealsthattheequationonthetoprightcontainsallfourvariables.

2 2
vf =vi +2ad

Oncetheequationisidentifiedandwrittendown,thenextstepinvolvessubstitutingknownvaluesinto
theequationandusingproperalgebraicstepstosolvefortheunknowninformation.Thisstepisshown
below.
(0m/s)2=(26.2m/s)2+2(9.8m/s2)d
0m2/s2=686.44m2/s2+(19.6m/s2)d
(19.6m/s2)d=0m2/s2686.44m2/s2
(19.6m/s2)d=686.44m2/s2
d=(686.44m2/s2)/(19.6m/s2)
d=35.0m
Thesolutionaboverevealsthatthevasewilltravelupwardsforadisplacementof35.0metersbefore
reachingitspeak.(Notethatthisvalueisroundedtothethirddigit.)
Thelaststepoftheproblemsolvingstrategyinvolvescheckingtheanswertoassurethatitisboth
reasonableandaccurate.Thevalueseemsreasonableenough.Thevaseisthrownwithaspeedof
approximately50mi/hr(merelyapproximate1m/stobeequivalentto2mi/hr).Suchathrowwillnever
makeitfurtherthanonefootballfieldinheight(approximately100m),yetwillsurelymakeitpastthe
10yardline(approximately10meters).Thecalculatedanswercertainlyfallswithinthisrangeof
reasonability.Checkingforaccuracyinvolvessubstitutingthecalculatedvaluebackintotheequationfor
displacementandinsuringthattheleftsideoftheequationisequaltotherightsideoftheequation.
Indeeditis!
Kinematicequationsprovideausefulmeansofdeterminingthevalueofanunknownmotionparameter
ifthreemotionparametersareknown.Inthecaseofafreefallmotion,theaccelerationisoftenknown.
Andinmanycases,anothermotionparametercanbeinferredthroughasolidknowledgeofsomebasic
kinematicprinciples.ThenextpartofLesson6providesawealthofpracticeproblemswithanswersand
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solutions.