Kinematics in Two Dimensions

EDDIE G. SANTILLAN, JR., ECE

Reference : Cutnell, Johnson - Physics 7e
Topics to be Discussed:
 Displacement,Velocity, and Acceleration
 Equations of Kinematics in two Dimensions
 Projectile Motion
 Relative Velocity
Displacement
 The displacement of the car is the vector drawn
from the initial position at time t0 to the final
position at time t.
Average Velocity
 The average velocity of the car between two positions is
defined as the displacement divided by the elapsed time
:

or
Average Acceleration
 The average acceleration is defined just as it is for
one-dimensional motion—namely, as the change in
velocity, , divided by the elapsed time
 :
Equations of Kinematics in Two Dimensions
 The two-dimensional motion of the spacecraft can be
viewed as the combination of the separate x and y
motions.
Equations of Kinematics in Two
Dimensions
Example 1:
 In the x direction, the spacecraft has an initial velocity
component of v0x = +22 m/s and an acceleration
component of ax = +24 m/s2. In the y direction, the
analogous quantities are v0y = +14 m/s and ay = +12 m/s2.
At a time of t = 7.0 s, (a) find the x and y components of
the spacecraft’s displacement and (b) find the spacecraft’s
final velocity (magnitude and direction).
 ANS: x = +740 m, y = +390 m; (b) 210 m/s, 27 degree
Applying the Equations of Kinematics in Two
Dimensions
 1. Make a drawing to represent the situation being
studied.
 2. Decide which directions are to be called positive (+)
and negative (−) relative to a conveniently chosen
coordinate origin. Do not change your decision during
the course of a calculation.
 3. Remember that the time variable t has the same value
for the part of the motion along the x axis and the part
along the y axis.
Applying the Equations of Kinematics in
Two Dimensions
 4. In an organized way, write down the values (with appropriate +
and − signs) that are given for any of the five kinematic variables
associated with the x direction and the y direction. Be on the alert
for “implied data,” such as the phrase “starts from rest,” which
means that the values of the initial velocity components are zero: v0x
= 0 m/s and v0y = 0 m/s. The data summary boxes and tables of
knowns and unknowns that are used in the examples are a good
way of keeping track of this information. In addition, identify the
variables that you are being asked to determine.
 5. Before attempting to solve a problem, verify that the given
information contains values for at least three of the kinematic
variables. Do this for the x and the y direction of the motion. Once
the three known variables are identified along with the desired
unknown variable, the appropriate equation can be selected.
Applying the Equations of Kinematics in
Two Dimensions
 6. When the motion is divided into “segments,”
remember that the final velocity for one segment is the
initial velocity for the next segment.

 7. Keep in mind that a kinematics problem may have two

possible answers. Try to visualize the different physical
situations to which the answers correspond.
Projectile Motion
 The biggest thrill in baseball is a home run. The motion of
the ball on its curving path into the stands is a common
type of two-dimensional motion called “projectile
motion.” A good description of such motion can often be
obtained with the assumption that air resistance is absent.
 In projectile motion, the horizontal or x component of
the acceleration is zero, and the vertical or y component
of the acceleration is the acceleration due to gravity.
Example 2: A Falling Care Package
 The figure below shows an airplane moving horizontally with a
constant velocity of +115 m/s at an altitude of 1050 m. The
directions to the right and upward have been chosen as the
positive directions. The plane releases a “care package” that falls
to the ground along a curved trajectory. Ignoring air resistance,
determine the time required for the package to hit the ground.
Example 3: I Shot a Bullet into the Air …
 Suppose you are driving in a convertible with the top down.
The car is moving to the right at a constant velocity. As the
figure below illustrates, you point a rifle straight upward and
fire it. In the absence of air resistance, where would the bullet
land—behind you, ahead of you, or in the barrel of the rifle?
Reasoning and Solution
 If air resistance were present, it would slow down the bullet
and cause it to land behind you, toward the rear of the car.
However, air resistance is absent, so we must consider the
bullet’s motion more carefully. Before the rifle is fired, the
bullet, rifle, and car are moving together, so the bullet and rifle
have the same horizontal velocity as the car. When the rifle is
fired, the bullet is given an additional velocity component in
the vertical direction; the bullet retains the velocity of the car
as its initial horizontal velocity component, since the rifle is
pointed straight up. Because there is no air resistance to slow
it down, the bullet experiences no horizontal acceleration.
Thus, the bullet’s horizontal velocity component does not
change. It retains its initial value, and remains matched to that
of the rifle and the car. As a result, the bullet remains directly
above the rifle at all times and would fall directly back
into the barrel of the rifle, as the drawing indicates.
Example 4:
 Ignoring air resistance, find the magnitude v and the
directional angle of the final velocity vector that the
package has just before it strikes the ground.
Example 5: The Height of a Kickoff
 A placekicker kicks a football at an angle of above
the horizontal axis, as the figure below shows. The initial speed
of the ball is . Ignore air resistance and find the
maximum height H that the ball attains.
Example 6: The Time of Flight of a
Kickoff
 Ignore air resistance and use the data from Example 5 to
determine the time of flight between kickoff and landing.
Example 7: The Range of a Kickoff
 Ignore air resistance and calculate the range R of the
projectile in Example 5.
Example 8: A Home Run
 A baseball player hits a home run, and the ball lands in the
left-field seats, 7.5 m above the point at which it was hit. It
lands with a velocity of 36 m/s at an angle of 28° below the
horizontal (see Figure below.) The positive directions are
upward and to the right in the drawing. Ignoring air
resistance, find the magnitude and direction of the initial
velocity with which the ball leaves the bat.
Example 9: Two Ways to Throw a Stone
 From the top of a cliff overlooking a lake, a person throws two
stones. The stones have identical initial speeds v0, but stone 1
is thrown downward at an angle below the horizontal, while
stone 2 is thrown upward at the same angle above the
horizontal, as the figure shows. Neglect air resistance and
decide which stone, if either, strikes the water with the greater
velocity.
Reasoning and Solution
 We might guess that stone 1, being hurled downward, would
strike the water with the greater velocity. To show that this is not
true, let’s follow the path of stone 2 as it rises to its maximum
height and falls back to earth. Notice point P in the drawing,
where stone 2 returns to its initial height; here the speed of
stone 2 is v0, but its velocity is directed at an angle below the
horizontal. At this point, then, stone 2 has a velocity that is
identical to the velocity with which stone 1 is thrown downward
from the top of the cliff. From this point on, the velocity of stone
2 changes in exactly the same way as that for stone 1, so both
stones strike the water with the same velocity.
Example 10: Crossing a River
 The engine of a boat drives it across a river that is 1800 m wide.
The velocity of the boat relative to the water is 4.0 m/s,
directed perpendicular to the current, as in figure below. The
velocity of the water relative to the shore is 2.0 m/s. (a)
What is the velocity of the boat relative to the shore? (b)
How long does it take for the boat to cross the river?
Example 11:
 Figure a shows two cars approaching an intersection along
perpendicular roads. The cars have the following velocities:

 Find the magnitude and direction of , where