Chapter 3

Falling Objects and

Projectile Motion
Gravity influences motion
in a particular way.
 How does a dropped
object behave?
!Does the object
accelerate, or is the
speed constant?
!Do two objects
behave differently if
they have:
!different masses?
!different shapes?
 Acceleration Due to
Gravity
" Earth exerts a gravitational force on objects
that is attractive (towards Earths surface).
" Near Earths surface, this force produces a
constant acceleration downward.
# To measure this acceleration, we need to slow
down the action.
# Galileo was the first to accurately measure this
acceleration due to gravity.
# By rolling objects down an inclined plane, he
slowed the motion enough to establish that the
gravitational acceleration is uniform, or constant
with time.
 Inclined Plane
Experiment
!Does the marble pick up speed as it rolls?
!Is it moving faster at the bottom of the incline than
it was halfway down?
" Flashes of a stroboscope
illuminate a falling ball at
equal time intervals.
" Distance covered in
successive time intervals
increases regularly.
" Since distance covered in
equal time intervals is
increasing, the velocity must
be increasing.
" Average velocity for a time
interval is given by dividing
the distance traveled in that
time interval by the time of
the interval.
" For example, between the
2nd and 3rd flashes, the ball
travels a distance of
4.8 cm - 1.2 cm = 3.6 cm
in a time of 0.05 s:
3.6 cm
v= = 72 cm/s
0.05 s

!
" The velocity values steadily
increase.

Time Position Average velocity

0s 0 cm
0.05 s 1.2 cm 24 cm/s
0.10 s 4.8 cm 72 cm/s
0.15 s 11.0 cm 124 cm/s
0.20 s 19.7 cm 174 cm/s
0.25 s 30.6 cm 218 cm/s
0.30 s 44.0 cm 268 cm/s
0.35 s 60.0 cm 320 cm/s
" The velocity values steadily
increase.
# Each point is plotted at the
midpoint between the two
times.
" The slope of the line is
constant.
" Thus, the acceleration is
constant.
 464 cm/s " 72 cm/s
a=
8 flashes # (0.05 s flash)

392 cm/s
= = 980 cm/s2
0.4 s

= 9.8 m s2

!
The diagram shows the positions at
0.10-sec intervals of a ball moving
left to right. Is the ball
accelerated?

a) Yes.
b) No.
c) Unable to determine.

The ball moves an equal distance during each 0.10-sec

interval, so the speed does not change.
Thus, the ball is not accelerated.
 The diagram shows the positions at
0.05-sec intervals of two balls
moving left to right. Are either or
both of these balls accelerated?

Both balls are accelerated. Ball A

a) Ball A is accelerated.
covers an increasing distance in each
b) Ball B is accelerated.
0.05-sec interval, so it is speeding up.
c) Both balls are accelerated. Ball B is covering less and less distance
d) Neither ball is accelerated. with each interval, so it is slowing down.
Both of these are accelerations.
 How does a dropped
object behave?
!Do two objects
behave differently if they
have:
!different masses?
!different shapes?
"The feather falls more
slowly than the brick.
"But what is the REAL
reason?
 How does a dropped
object behave?
"If we drop a feather
and a brick in a
vacuum, they reach the
ground at the same
time.
"Gravitational
acceleration does NOT
depend on the weight
of the object.
 Tracking a Falling
Object
" How long does it take for the
ball to reach the ground?
" How fast is it traveling when it
gets there?
# Assuming air resistance effects
are small, the ball accelerates
at 9.8 m/s2 ! 10 m/s2.
# Each second, its velocity
increases by 10 m/s.
 Tracking a Falling
Object
" Starting from rest, its velocity
has increased to 10 m/s after
the first second; to 20 m/s after
2 s; to 30 m/s after 3 s; etc.
# 10 m/s > 20 MPH
# 30 m/s ! 70 MPH!
" During the first second, its
average velocity is 10 m/s 2 =
5 m/s, during which time it
travels 5 m. In the first half
second, it travels 1.25 m.
 Tracking a Falling
Object
" The distance increases in
proportion to the square of the
time: 1 2 1 2
d = at = (10 m/s)(1 s) = 5 m
2 2

!
The velocity-versus-time graph for
a certain falling object is shown.
Is the acceleration of this object
constant?
a) Yes.
b) No.
c) Impossible to tell
from this graph.

Constant acceleration would

require the v vs. t curve to be a
straight line. This graph is
curving upward, so the slope
(and the acceleration) is
increasing.
 Throwing a ball
downward
" Let the ball be thrown downward
instead of being dropped.
# It will have a starting velocity different from
zero.
# It will reach the ground more rapidly.
# It will have a larger velocity when it reaches
the ground.
v = v 0 + at

1 2
d = v 0 t + at
2
 Beyond Free Fall:
Throwing a Ball Upward
! What if the ball is thrown
upward?
! Gravitational acceleration is
always directed downward,
toward the center of the Earth.
! Here, the acceleration is in the
opposite direction to the
original upward velocity.
" Let the initial velocity be 20
m/s upward.
# It immediately starts
experiencing a downward
acceleration due to gravity, of
approximately 10 m/s.
# Every second, the velocity
decreases by 10 m/s.
" After 2 s, the ball has reached
its highest point.
# Its velocity changes direction,
from upward to downward,
passing through a value of 0
m/s.
" Now, the downward
acceleration increases the
downward velocity.
 What is the balls
acceleration at the
top of its path
(at t=2 s)?
a) zero.
b) +10 m/s
c) -10 m/s
d) +10 m/s2
e) -10 m/s2
Gravity does not turn off at the top!
The balls velocity is still changing, as it
changes from going up to going down.
For a moment the velocity is zero, but
the gravitational acceleration is a
constant throughout the path.
" The velocity-vs-time plot starts with +20
m/s (upward) at time t=0 and changes at
a steady rate of -10 m/s2 (decreasing 10
m/s each second).
" Positive velocities correspond to upward
motion; negative velocities correspond to
downward motion.
" The slope is constant and negative (for
constant downward acceleration).
 Projectile Motion
" The path that a moving object follows is
called its trajectory.
# An object thrown horizontally is accelerated
downward under the influence of gravity.
# Gravitational acceleration is only vertical, not
horizontal.
# The objects horizontal velocity is unchanged, if we
can neglect air resistance.
" Projectile motion involves the trajectories
and velocities of objects that have been
launched, shot, or thrown.
 Does this represent a realistic
trajectory?
a) Yes.
b) No.
c) Maybe.

The coyote would not go

straight horizontally, pause,
and then fall straight down.
There are many examples in
movies and on television of
unrealistic trajectories.
Can you think of any others?
 What does the trajectory look like?
$The acceleration of the horizontal motion is zero (in the absence
of air resistance).
$The object moves with
constant horizontal velocity.
$It travels equal horizontal
distances in equal time
intervals.
$The acceleration in the
vertical direction is constant.
$Its vertical velocity increases
downward just like the falling
ball.
$In each successive time
interval, it falls a greater
distance than in the previous
time interval.
 What does the trajectory look like?
$The total velocity at any point is found by adding
the vertical component of the velocity, at that
point, to the horizontal component of the velocity
at that point.
$The horizontal velocity
remains constant, because
there is no acceleration in
that direction.
$The length of the horizontal
velocity vector doesnt
change.
$The downward (vertical) velocity gets larger and larger, due to
the acceleration due to gravity.
 What does the trajectory look like?
$Trajectories for different initial velocities of a ball rolling
off a table:
$The largest initial velocity is v3.
$The smallest initial velocity is v1.
$The ball travels
greater horizontal
distances when
projected with a
larger initial
horizontal velocity.
 Which of these three balls would
hit the floor first if all three left
the tabletop at the same time?
a) The ball with initial velocity
v1.
b) The ball with initial velocity
v2.
c) The ball with initial velocity
v3.
d) They would all hit at the
same time.

Since all three balls undergo the

same downward acceleration,
and they all start with a vertical
velocity of zero, they would all
fall the same distance in the
same time!
 Projectile Motion
" Treating the vertical motion independently of
the horizontal motion, and then combining
them to find the trajectory, is the secret.
# A horizontal glide combines with a vertical plunge
to produce a graceful curve.
# The downward gravitational acceleration behaves
the same as for any falling object.
# There is no acceleration in the horizontal direction
if air resistance can be ignored.
# The projectile moves with constant horizontal
velocity while it is accelerating downward.
 Hitting a Target

! If the rifle is fired directly at the target in

a horizontal direction, will the bullet hit
the center of the target?
! Does the bullet fall during its flight?
 Hitting a Target

! The trajectory depends on the initial

velocity.
! The trajectory depends on the launch
angle.
 Hitting a Target
! The greatest distance is achieved using
an angle close to 45 if the effects of air
resistance are negligible.
 Hitting a Target
! For the lowest angle, the horizontal
velocity is much greater than the initial
vertical velocity.
! The ball does not go very high, so its time
of flight is short.
 Hitting a Target
! For the highest angle, the initial vertical
velocity is much greater than the
horizontal velocity.
! The ball goes higher, so its time of flight is
longer, but it does not travel very far
horizontally.
 Hitting a Target
! The intermediate angle of 45 divides
the initial velocity equally between the
vertical and the horizontal.
! The ball stays in the air longer than at low
angles, but also travels with a greater
horizontal velocity than at high angles.
 Which free-throw trajectory has
the greatest chance of success?
a) upper.
b) middle.
c) lower.

What factors determine

the best trajectory?
Are these factors different
for different situations?
The ball coming
straight down
has a wider
range of
possible paths.
 An arched shot from farther away
stays in the air longer than an arched
shot from closer to the basket.

Away from the basket,

flatter trajectories allow
more accurate control.
Spin of the basketball,
height of release, and
other factors also play a
role.
 Which of the two trajectories
shown will result in a longer time
for the ball to reach home plate?
a) The higher trajectory. The higher trajectory takes longer.
b) The lower trajectory. The time of flight is determined by
c) They will take the same time. the initial vertical velocity
component which also determines
the maximum height reached.