Problem Set 5 Answer Key

Motion in a Plane, Physics 21

1. A golf ball is hit horizontally from a tee at the edge of a cliff. Its x- and y-coordinates are
given as functions of time by

x = (20 m·s−1 )t, y = −(4.9 m·s−2 )t2 . (1)

a) Compute the x- and y-coordinates at times t = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 s. Plot these positions

and sketch the trajectory.

Answer: The table below summarizes the rectangular coordinates (x, y) of the golf ball
at various instances of time t using the formulas above:

t, seconds x, meters y, meters

0 0 0
1 20 −4.9
2 40 −19.6
3 60 −44.1
4 80 −78.4

Figure 1 below shows the golf ball’s trajectory at different instances of time t:
y

t = 0s x
(0, 0) t = 1s
(20, −4.9)

t = 2s
(40, −19.6)

t = 3s
(60, −44.1)

t = 4s
(80, −78.4)

Figure 1
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b. Determine the ball’s initial velocity and its acceleration.
Answer: Comparing the given equations from Eqns (1) with the standard equations for
projectile motion both along the x- and the y-directions:
x = x0 + v0x t, y = y0 + v0y t − 21 gt2 (2)
we note that if the initial conditions are such that (x0 , y0 ) = (0, 0) and v0y = 0 at time
t = 0, then
v0x = 20 m/s ay = − 12 g = −4.9 m/s2 (3)
c. Find the x- and y-components of velocity at time t = 2 s. Plot the velocity vector at
the appropriate point on the trajectory obtained in (a). Is the velocity tangent to the
trajectory?
Answer: At t = 2 s, the x- and y-components of velocity v are computed thus:

vx = v0x vy = v0y − gt
vx = 20 m/s = 0 − (9.8 m/s2 )(2 s)
vy = −19.6 m/s2

The velocity vector at t = 2 s is therefore given by:

√
−19.6 m/s
v = vx2 + vy2 θ = tan−1
√ 20 m/s
◦
2
= (20 m/s) + (−19.6 m/s) 2
θ = −44.42
v = 28 m/s

Figure 2 below shows the velocity vector v plotted at the appropriate point (t = 2 s) along
with its components vx and vy all drawn accurately to scale. This clearly shows that the
velocity is tangent to the trajectory.
y

t = 0s x
(0, 0)
t = 1s
(20, −4.9)

t = 2s
vx = 20 m/s
(40, −19.6)
vy = −19.6 m/s
v = 28 m/s

t = 3s
(60, −44.1)

Figure 2

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2. A player kicks a football at an angle of 37◦ with the horizontal and with an initial speed of
48 ft·s−1 . A second player standing at a distance of 100 ft from the first in the direction of
the kick starts running to meet the ball at the instant it is kicked. How fast must he run in
order to catch the ball before it hits the ground?
Answer: Given v0 = 48 ft/s and θ0 = 37◦ , we recall Eqn (19) of the lecture on “Motion in a
Plane” which gives us the range R of the football:

v02 sin 2θ0

R= (19)
g
(48 ft/s)2 sin 2(37◦ )
=
32.2 ft/s2
R = 68.78 ft

Furthermore, recall Eqn (11) of the same lecture which relates the y-component of the
displacement to the time of flight t and the initial conditions v0 and θ0 :

y = (v0 sin θ0 )t − 21 gt2 (11)

We note that by the time the ball goes back to its original elevation (y = 0), t is equal to
the total time of flight of the ball. The total flight time of the ball would therefore be equal
to one of the roots of the right-hand side of Eqn (11) above. Thus,

0 = (v0 sin θ0 )t − 12 gt2

0 = (v0 sin θ0 − 12 gt)t

so that either t = 0 or v0 sin θ0 − 21 gt = 0. Solving for t in the second case gives us the total
flight time of the football:

0 = v0 sin θ0 − 12 gt
1
2
gt= v0 sin θ0
2v0 sin θ0 2(48 ft/s)(sin 37◦ )
t= = (12)
g 32.2 ft/s2
t = 1.79 s

The second player must travel a distance s of 100 ft − 68.78 ft = 31.22 ft in t = 1.79 s in order
to reach the football before it hits the ground. Hence, his average speed should be:
31.22 ft
v= = 17.44 ft/s
1.79 s

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3. A projectile shot at an angle of 60◦ above the horizontal strikes a building 30 m away at a
point 15 m above the point of projection.
a. Find the speed of projection, v0 .
Answer: The setup is shown in Figure 3 below.
y

15 m

v0
θ0 = 60◦
x
30 m
Figure 3
Given that x = 30 m when y = 15 m, we can use Eqn (17) in the lecture on “Motion in a
Plane" as the equation of the trajectory of the projectile where θ0 = 60◦ :
g
y = (tan θ0 )x − x2 (17)
2v02 2
cos θ0

For this particular problem, we can manipulate Eqn (17) to solve for v0 in terms of the
other given values:

gx2
v02 =
2 cos2 θ0 (x tan θ0 − y)
√ √
gx2 (9.8 m/s2 )(30 m)2
v0 = =
2 cos2 θ0 (x tan θ0 − y) 2 cos2 60◦ [(30 m) tan 60◦ − (15 m)]
v0 = 21.85 m/s

b. Find the magnitude and direction of the velocity of the projectile when it strikes the
building.
Answer: First we need to find the rectangular components of the velocity vector v at
(x, y) = (30 m, 15 m):

vx = v0x = v0 cos 60◦ vy2 = v0y

2
− 2gy = v02 sin2 60◦ − 2gy
√
= (21, 85 m/s) cos 60◦ vy = − v02 sin2 60◦ − 2gy
vx = 10.925 m/s √
= − (21.85 m/s)2 sin2 60◦ − 2(9.8 m/s2 )(15 m)
vy = −8.004 m/s

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 Note that vy takes the negative root above based on the setup shown in Figure 3, so that
from these components, the magnitude and direction of v is determined:
√ −8.004 m/s
v = vx2 + vy2 θ = tan−1
10.925 m/s
√
= (10.925 m/s)2 + (−8.004 m/s)2 θ = −36.228◦

v = 13.543 m/s

4. A boy throws a water-filled balloon at an angle of 53.1◦ with a speed of 10 m·s−1 . A car is
advancing toward the boy at a constant speed of 5 m·s−1 . If the balloon is to hit the car,
how far away should the car be when the balloon is thrown?
Answer: The overall setup is shown below in Figure 4.
y

v0 = 10 m/s

vcar = 5 m/s
θ0 = 53.1◦
x
R xcar
s

Figure 4
The problem requires us to find s, which is the sum of the balloon’s horizontal range R and
the distance the car travels, xcar during the entire flight time of the balloon. From problem
(2), we have Eqn (19) for the range R:

v02 sin 2θ0 (10 m/s)2 sin 2(53.1◦ )

R= =
g 9.8 m/s2
R = 9.8 m
Also from problem 2, we have Eqn (12) for the total flight time t:

2v0 sin θ0 2(10 m/s) sin 53.1◦

t= =
g 9.8 m/s2
t = 1.632 s

Total flight time for the balloon is also the total travel time for the car so that

xcar = vcar t = (5 m/s)(1.632 s) = 8.16 m

Computing for s, the car’s initial distance from the balloon at the instant it is thrown is

s = R + xcar = 9.8 m + 8.16 m = 17.96 m

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5. A highway curve of radius 1600 ft is to be banked so that a car traveling 50 mi·hr−1 will have
no tendency to skid sideways. At what angle should it be banked?
Answer: The situation in this problem is similar to Example 4 of the section on Circular
Motion in the lecture on “Motion in a Plane". It is reproduced here in Figure 5 below:

Figure 5
Following the discussion in Example 4, the banking angle θ of the road to prevent sideways
skidding is expressed in Eqn (25) of the lecture in terms of the speed of the car v , the local
acceleration due to gravity g, and the radius of the highway curve R thus:

v2
tan θ =
Rg
[ ]
−1 (50 mi/hr · 5280 ft/mi · 1 hr/3600 s)2
θ = tan
(1600 ft)(32.2 ft/s2 )
θ = 5.959◦