Chapter 13: Problem 3
Flight time and height A projectile is fired with an initial speed of 500 \(\mathrm{m} / \mathrm{sec}\) at an angle of elevation of \(45^{\circ} .\) a. When and how far away will the projectile strike? b. How high overhead will the projectile be when it is 5 \(\mathrm{km}\) downrange? c. What is the greatest height reached by the projectile?
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Resolve Initial Velocity Components
Determine Time of Flight
Calculate Range
Find the Height at 5 km Downrange
Calculate Maximum Height
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Initial Velocity Components
- The horizontal component, \( v_{x_0} = v_0 \cos(\theta) \), determines how fast the projectile moves along the horizontal plane.
- The vertical component, \( v_{y_0} = v_0 \sin(\theta) \), impacts how high the projectile will rise.
Understanding these separate vectors helps break down projectile motion into two simpler, linear motions—horizontal and vertical.
Time of Flight
- Start with the equation of motion: \( v_y = v_{y_0} - gt \)
- For total flight, set final vertical velocity (\( v_y \)) to \(-v_{y_0} \)
- This rearranges to \( t = \frac{2v_{y_0}}{g} \)
- Plug in the values for our example, \( v_{y_0} = 353.55\, \text{m/s}\), \( g = 9.8\, \text{m/s}^2\), yielding a time of flight of approximately 72.15 seconds.
Range Calculation
- Use \( x = v_{x_0} \times t \), where \( x \) is the range.
- For the example, \( v_{x_0} = 353.55\, \text{m/s}\) and the flight time \( t = 72.15\, \text{sec} \)
- Calculating this: \( x = 353.55 \times 72.15 \approx 25500\, \text{meters} \)
Maximum Height
- Use \( v_y = v_{y_0} - gt \) and set \( v_y \) to zero for the peak point
- This translates into \( t_{peak} = \frac{v_{y_0}}{g} \)
- Substitute to find the peak time: \( t_{peak} = \frac{353.55}{9.8} \approx 36.075\, \text{sec} \)
- Use \( h_{max} = v_{y_0}t_{peak} - \frac{1}{2}gt_{peak}^2 \) to find the peak height, calculating to about \( 6364\, \text{meters} \)
Physics Problem Solving
- Start with identifying the known quantities and assign variables.
- Use trigonometric relationships for resolving initial velocities.
- Apply kinematic equations for time of flight, range, and maximum height sequentially.
- Verify each step with the context of the problem - does it make sense practically?