WEEK 4

GENERAL PHYSICS 1

FREE FALL
The displacement of falling objects in a given period of time is computed by the equation:
2
d=v i t+ ¿
2

The final velocity of falling objects can be calculated by the equations:

vf 2=vi2 +2 gd and v f =v i +¿

Sample Problem:

1. The time a male bungee jumper is freely falling is 1.5 seconds.

a. What is the velocity of the jumper at the end of 1.5 seconds?
b. How far does he fall?
Given: vi = 0 (jumper starts at rest)
t = 1.5 s
g = 9.8 m/s2
Find: a. vf b. d
Solution:
a. vf = vi + gt
= 0 + (9.8 m/s2 ) (1.5 s)
vf = 14.7 m/s or 15 m/s
2
b. d=v i t+ ¿
2

1
= 0+ ¿ 9.8 m/s2 ) (1.5 s)2
2
1
= 0+ ¿ 9.8 m/s2 ) (2.25 s2 )
2
d = 11.025 m or 11 m

Although we speak of falling objects, objects in upward motion

experience the same free fall acceleration. Look at Figure 7.8
above. The velocity decreases as the as the object rises until its
velocity momentarily becomes zero as it reaches the maximum
height and then falls back toward the earth with increasing
velocity.
The up and down travel of an object is symmetrical in space and
time around the maximum height reached. This means that if air
resistance is neglected, the object will move with the same speed
at the same height, whether it is on its way up or down.

Sample Problem 2:
A juggler tosses three balls alternately vertically upward. Each ball has an initial velocity of 5 m/s. How high
does each ball rise? How long does each ball remain in the air?
Given: vi = 5 m/s
g = -9.8 m/s2
Find: a. d
b.tT

Solution:
a. At the highest point of the path of the ball, vf = 0. Thus,
vf2 = vi2 + 2gd
−vi 2
0 = vi2 + 2gd = d=
2g
= −¿ ¿
25 m2 /s 2
=
19.6 m/s2
d = 1.28 m
b. The time to rise is half the total time.
tT = 2t (up)
v f −vi
= 2( )
g
0−5 m/s
=2( ¿
−9.8 m/s 2
= 2 (0.51 s)
tT = 1.02 s

PROJECTILE MOTION
Have you noticed how a basketball player makes a three-point score? How would you trace the path the
ball goes? The ball is thrown with an initial velocity and travels a curved path. An object thrown with an initial
horizontal velocity and acted upon by the earth`s pull of gravity known as a projectile. A projectile travels in a
curved path called path called the trajectory. Try to do this activity and analyse the motion of a freely falling
body and a projectile. Place a ruler on the table as shown in figure 8.1. Then, put one coin on the protruding end
of the ruler and another coin on the opposite end. Push the ruler to allow both coins to fall. When the ruler is
pushed, one coin falls freely and other coin is projected with an initial horizontal velocity. The coins hit the
floor at the same time although the projectile has travelled some horizontal distance from the point of release.
These suggest that projectile motion is a combination of vertical and horizontal motion that are completely
independent of each other. Figure 8.2 shows that, as the projectile falls freely in the vertical direction, it moves
at a constant velocity in the horizontal direction.

Projectiles include objects that are thrown horizontally as well as objects that are projected at an angle
such as: making a free throw in basketball, serving a
volleyball, batting a baseball and dropping a package
of relief goods from a helicopter.
 HORIZONTAL PROJECTIONS
The velocity of a projectile can be separated into horizontal and vertical component. The vertical
component (vy) varies while the horizontal component (vx) is constant. The actual velocity (vR) is represented by
the resultant vectors that form the diagonal of the rectangle formed by the vertical and horizontal components.

The maximum height (dy) and the horizontal distance (dx) can be calculated by
using the formula for a freely falling body and that for constant speed motion,
respectively. Thus,
2
d y = ¿ ∧d x =v x ° t
2
Where t, here is the total time of flight.

Sample Problem:
Anton claims that he can throw a dart at a dartboard from a distance of 2.0 m and hit the 5.0 cm wide
bull`s- eye if he throws the dart horizontally with a speed of 20 m/s. he starts the throw at the same height as the
top of the bull`s eye. Will Anton hit the bull`s –eye?
Given: dx= 2.0 m
vix = 20 m/s
Find: dy
Solution: dx = vx . t
Solving for t, we have
d x 2.0 m
t= = =0.1 s
v ix 20 m/s

Now that we have determined t (which is the same time it will take to cover dy), we can now solve for dy.
2
d y= ¿
2
¿( 9.8 m/s¿¿ 2) ¿¿ ¿

(9.8 m/s ¿¿ 2)( 0.01 s2 )

¿ ¿
2
d y =0.049 m∨4.9 cm

Anton will hit the bull`s-eye.

The flight of a projectile can be described in terms of its horizontal and vertical components. So, when solving
projectile motion problems, the first task is to resolve the velocity of the projectile into its horizontal and
vertical components. Then the components are treated separately.

PROJECTIONS AT ARBITRARY ANGLES

When a projectile is fired with an initial velocity (vi) at an angle θ above the horizontal, the initial
velocity can be resolved into its rectangular components. That is,

vix= vi cos θ
 viy = vi cos θ
Projectiles always experience a constant vertical acceleration due to the pull of gravity (g = 9.8 m/s2) as they
rise and fall. Hence, the vertical displacement (dy) and the vertical velocity vy can be solved by using the
formula for uniformly accelerated motion
Where
2
d y =v iy + ¿
2

vfy 2−viy2
d y=
2g
Hence,

As the projectile rises, it decreases its vertical velocity and, at the peak of the trajectory, it becomes zero. Thus,
the time for a projectile to rise can be solved by the equation,
Where
v fy =v iy −¿

v fy =0

0=v iy −¿

Thus
v iy
t=
g
v i sin θ
t=
g
For a projectile beginning and ending at the same height, the time it takes to rise to its highest point is equal to
the time it takes to fall from the highest point back to the original point of projection.
To find the total time (t`) of flight that a projectile is in the air, simply double the time it takes a projectile to
rise.
t =2 t
2 v iy
¿
g
2 v i sinθ
t=
g
The maximum height (dy) can be calculated by considering the downward motion of a projectile, wherein viv = 0
(from the peak).

(v i sinθ)2
d y=
2g
The horizontal displacement known as range (R) of the projectile is the product of the horizontal velocity and
the total time of flight.
R=v ix ° t

vi 2 sin θ
R=
g