Le Fevre High School

SACE Stage 2 Physics

Projectile Motion 2
1. A cannon on a pirate ship was fired at an angle of 30 , and the cannon ball came out of the
cannon at 40 ms-1. Assuming we can neglect air resistance and that g=9.8ms -2, calculate:
(a) The vertical and horizontal components of velocity.
v 0 horizontal v 0 cos 40 cos 30 0
34.6ms 1
v 0 vertical v 0 sin 40 sin 30 0
20ms 1

(b) How long the cannon ball is in the air?

Half Time of Flight when vt(vertical) 0

vt v 0 at
vt 20 10 t

t 2s
So the Time of Flight is 4 s

(c) How high it goes?

s vert v0 t 1 2 at 2
s vert 20 2 1 2 10 2 2
s vert 20m

(d) How far away it lands in the water?

s horiz v0 t

s horiz 34.6 4
s horiz 139m

(e) What its velocity is after 2.0 seconds?

v 2 s v 2 s ( vert ) v 2 s ( horiz )

v 2 s 0 34.6 34.6ms 1 at 90 0 T

2. A bullet is fired at 30 to the horizontal with a speed of 100ms -1 . The acceleration of the bullet
is 10ms -2 vertically downwards.
(a) What is the change in velocity of the bullet after 2 seconds?
Each second, there is a change of velocity of 10ms-1 down.
So after 2 seconds, there is a change of 20ms-1 down.
(b) At what instant after firing will the bullet be travelling horizontally?
Initial components of the velocity of the bullet-

Le Fevre High School

v1( vertical ) v1 sin 100 sin 30 0 100 0.5
50ms -1
v1( horizontal ) v1 sin 100 cos 30 0 100 0.866
86.6ms -1

Bullet travelling horizontally when vertical component is zero.

v 2 v1 at

0 50 ( 10) t
t 5s

(c) What is the velocity of the bullet 50 seconds after firing?

v50 ( vertical ) v 0 ( vertical ) at

v50 ( vertical ) 50 (10) 50

v50 ( vertical ) 450ms 1 450ms 1 down
vt v50( horizontal ) v50( vertical )
vt 86.6 450
vt 458ms 1 at 169.10 T (Pythagoras' Theory Trigonomet ric ratio)

3. A stone is thrown horizontally from the top of a 120m cliff with a speed of 8ms -1.(g=10ms-2)
v 0 ( horizontal ) 8ms 1

v 0 ( vertical ) 0ms 1

s 120m

(a) How long does it take to strike the sea at the base of the cliff?
Consider the vertical component
s v1t 1 2 at 2
120 0
120
t2
5
t 4.9 s

10 t 2

(b) How far from the base of the cliff does it strike the sea?
s v1( horizontal ) t
s 8 4.9
s 39.2m

(c) What is its velocity as it strikes the sea?

Strikes the sea after 5s
v 5( vertical ) v 0 ( vertical ) at

v 5( vertical ) 0 (10) 5
v 5( vertical ) 50ms 1 50ms 1 down

v5 v5( horizontal ) v5( vertical )

v5 8 50 50.6ms 1 170.10 T (Pythagoras' Theory Trig Ratio)

4. An object is projected horizontally at 30ms -1 from the top of a building which is 40m high. Find:
a 9.8ms 2 down

v1 0ms 1

s v 40m

(a) The time it takes the object to reach the ground.

t ?

Le Fevre High School

s v v1t

at 2

40 0 1 2 9.8 t 2
40
t2
8.16
4.9
t 2.86 s

(b) The horizontal distance from the base of the wall to the landing point.
s h v h t

s h 30 2.86
s h 85.8m

(c) The time when the object passes a window 25m above the ground.
s 15m
s v1t

a 9.8ms -2
1

15 0 t
15
t2
4.9
t 1.75s

2
1

at
2

v1 0ms 1

t ?

9.8 t 2

(d) The objects height above the ground after 2 seconds.

Consider only the vertical component
s 0 1 2 9.8 2 2
s 4.9 4
s 19.6m

5. A cricket ball is hit so that it travels 90m before hitting the ground. If it reaches a maximum
height of 20m calculate the velocity with which the ball left the bat.
Time of flight can be calculated from the balls vertical motion. Time to reach maximum
height (at maximum height vvert=0ms-1 )
s vert v vert t

at 2

20 0 1 2 9.8 t 2
20
t2
4.08
4 .9
t 2.02 s
Total Time of Flight 2 2.02 s 4.04 s

Le Fevre High School

Velocity in Horizontal direction

s horiz
t
90

22.3ms 1
4.04

v horiz
v horiz

Velocity in the vertical direction in reaching the maximum height

s vert 20m
a vert 9.8ms 1
t 2.02 s
v 2 vert 0ms 1
v 22vert v12vert 2as
0 v12vert 2 ( 9.8) 20
v12vert 392
v1vert 19.8ms 1

Initial velocity can be found by adding the velocity components

v1 v1horiz v1vert

v12 ( 22.3) 2 (19.8) 2 (Pythagoras' Theory)

v12 889.33
v1 29.8ms 1 48 0 to the horizontal

6.
(a)
When a projectile lands lower than its launch height, the Time of Flight will
increases by the time it takes to fall the extra height.

Le Fevre High School

(b)
The air resistance will cause an opposing force to the motion of the projectile in the
vertical and horizontal directions. The object will not follow a parabolic path as it would if there
were no air resistance.
300

Projectile ranges
with / without air resistance

250

no
air resistance

height

200
150
100

with
air resistance

50
0
0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

range

As can be seen the range and Time of Flight are reduced

(c)

When the object is thrown, it leaves at a given angle, the object will then pass the release height at
the same angle. The object thrown at 450 enters the extra space at a larger angle dives into the
ground. The object thrown at a less angle enters the extra space at a lower angle and can travel
further.