Projectile Motion

Ruoyu Tang
Objectives
o Identify essential components in determining projectile motion of an
object

o Explain the relationship between the range and the time of flight

o Analysis projectile motion in two-dimension, choose the appropriate

equation to find instant velocity, range, maximum height, and time of
flight

o Construct a model of projectile motion by including time of flight,

maximum height, and range
When we launch a crazy bird……
How can we aim the
target in crazy birds？
-experience？
-or luck？

How can we analysis

the motion of crazy
birds？
When we launch a crazy bird……

Tracking the path of the bird, it’s a curved line -Mirror-symmetrical

bending downwards, to be more specific, it’s a -Approximately U-shaped
parabola.
Definition of Projectile motion
Projectile motion
A projectile is an object that has been given an initial velocity by some sort
of short-lived force, and then moves through the air under the influence of
gravity. The path followed by a projectile is known as a trajectory.
Baseballs, stones, or bullets are all examples of projectiles executing
projectile motion.
The path of projectile motion is in the shape of parabola.

FYI
We will ignore air
resistance in the
discussion that follows…
When we launch a ball horizontally……
Horizontal
origin Motion due to horizontal velocity alone Dimension

Vertical Motion due to gravity

Dimension
When we launch a ball horizontally……
Motion due to horizontal velocity alone

Height
（H）:
vertical
distance
Motion due to gravity

Range(R): horizontal distance from starting point till grounded

Analyzing projectile motion
Analyzing projectile motion

We could
What will the see from
motion trail looks the graph
like when we that
divide the vertical
Release two projectile motion component
balls at the into two s of motion
same time， components along positon
what’s in horizontal coincide to
common of direction and the free
their motions？ vertical direction？ falling.
Analyzing projectile motion

The trajectory path in horizontal

direction always increases with the
same distance within the same time
interval which means the horizontal
motion is in constant velocity
We call it Horizontal uniform motion.
We could see from the graph that
horizontal component of motion
positon coincide to the Horizontal
uniform motion.
Analyzing projectile motion
At any moment t,
in vertical direction, the
0 x motion is free fall:

s=𝑣𝑥 𝑡 Vertical velocity 𝑣𝑦 = 𝑔𝑡

1 2 1 2
h= gt Height ℎ = 𝑔𝑡
2 2
𝑣𝑥 = 10𝑚/𝑠 In horizontal direction, the
motion is uniform linear
𝑣𝑦 = 𝑔𝑡
y motion:
Horizontal velocity 𝑣𝑥 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡
Horizontal distance 𝑠 = 𝑣𝑥 𝑡
 Horizontal projectile motion
Initial velocity Position Coordinate
The position along the path can be
P(x , y) Position written as P(x , y)
Coordinate
x-horizontal distance away from the
Gravity G
origin
y-vertical distance away from the origin
Instant
velocity
Instant velocity 𝒗 along the tangent line
𝒗= 𝒗𝒙 𝟐 + 𝒗𝒚 𝟐 Horizontal velocity 𝒗𝒙 = 𝒗 × 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜽
Trajectory Diagram Vertical velocity 𝒗𝒚 = 𝒗 × 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜽
 Horizontal projectile motion
Horizontal Displacement 𝑺𝒙
Vertical 𝜶 Displacement pointing from
Displacement
Displacement 𝑺 origin to current position
𝑺𝒚 Horizontal 𝑺𝒙 = 𝑺 × 𝒄𝒐𝒔 𝜶
Displacement displacement
Diagram
Vertical
Velocity Diagram 𝑺𝒚 = 𝑺 × 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝜶
displacement
𝟐 𝟐
Displacement 𝒔 = 𝒔𝒙 + 𝒔𝒚
𝜶≠𝜽
Analyzing projectile motion
0 x
s=？
𝑣𝑡=5 ?
h=？ velocity diagram

y 𝒗𝒙 = 𝟏𝟎 𝒎/𝒔

𝒗𝒚 = 𝒈𝒕 = 𝟏𝟎 × 𝟓 = 𝟓𝟎 𝒎/𝒔
What‘s the velocity of the ball after 5.0 second?
The initial velocity is 10m/s horizontally. 𝒗= 𝒗𝒙 𝟐 + 𝒗𝒚 𝟐 = 𝟓𝟎𝟐 + 𝟏𝟎𝟐
= 𝟓𝟏 𝒎/𝒔
Direction of velocity at 5.0 second： 𝒗𝒚 𝟓𝟎
Downwards at the angle of 79° with horizontal direction 𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝜽 = = =𝟓
𝒗𝒙 𝟏𝟎
Magnitude：51 m/s
𝜽 = 𝒕𝒂𝒏−𝟏 𝟓 = 𝟕𝟗°
Methodology for solving projectile motion
1. Draw a diagram of the given condition(Trajectory, velocity, displacement)
Label and include any sort of information given in your diagram(e.g.
distance, displacement, velocity, etc.)

2. Establish the coordinate system

Determine a positive direction in two dimension.
Discompose the problem into x-axis (horizontal)and y-axis(vertical)

3. Write down the given condition and organize your data

4. Determine which variables and equations

you need to solve and Choose appropriate motion
equation for the missing data
Practice:

Step 1: Draw and label a detailed diagram

Step 2: Organize all the data and establish
equation
Condition：
h（height）=22m
R（range）=35m
Formula：
1
h（height）= gt 2
2
R（range）=vx t
The height determine the flying time. Substitute the value into formula：
1
The initial velocity and height determines the 22m = × 10 × t 2 𝒕 =2.10s
2
range. 35 =vx t 𝒗𝒙 =
𝟑𝟓 𝟑𝟓
= 𝟐.𝟏𝟎 =16.67m/s
𝒕
Key knowledge of projectile motion
• Projectile motion is two-dimension motion, always could be discomposed into
horizontal direction and vertical direction.
• Projectile motion is experiencing uniform linear motion in horizontal direction,
moving at a constant velocity, and free fall in vertical direction, the acceleration
is g.
• The path of projectile motion is Trajectory, establish a coordinate system, draw
the path, find Trajectory Diagram.
• Analysis the velocity, displacement by drawing velocity diagram and
displacement diagram.
• The flying time of projectile motion dependent on the height it released.
• The range of projectile motion dependent both on the initial velocity and height
since,
𝟏
𝒉 = 𝒈𝒕𝟐 → 𝒕 and Range=initial horizontal velocity× 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
𝟐
Key knowledge of projectile motion
𝑣𝑥 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑣𝑦 = 𝑔𝑡
1 2
𝑠 = 𝑣𝑥 𝑡 ℎ = 𝑔𝑡
2
Horizontal projectile motion graph
If we ignore the air resistance, the projectile motion can be discomposed
into free fall vertically and uniform linear motion horizontally.

ℎ 𝑣𝑦

𝑠 𝑡
please notice the flying time is consistent
𝑣𝑥
for both velocity-time graph.
Try to find the s-t and a-t graph.
𝑡
Horizontal projectile motion with air resistance
Without air resistance
ℎ With air resistance

𝑣𝑥

𝑡 𝑠

𝑣𝑦 When air resistance exists, how

does the motion graph changes,
and why there is such change?
1
Hint: h= 𝑔𝑡 2 , distance=𝑣𝑥 𝑡
2
𝑡
Challenge
Mission 1:
• Try to find the equation between vertical distance y and horizontal
distance x.
• Try to draw the Trajectory diagram according to the equation.
• Search online the general equation of parabola line.
• Proof why the path(Trajectory) of projectile motion is parabola?
Mission 2:
• Use tracker to analysis the video of projectile motion, proof the path
is parabola.
Mission 3:
• Try to plot the a-t graph of horizontal projectile motion with air
resistance
Game Try the simulation
• https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/projectile-
motion/latest/projectile-motion_en.html

• Set the launching angle and initial speed..

• Can you predict where the target should be placed so
that the ball hits it?