APPLIED PHYSICS LAB COMPLEX ENGINEERING ACTIVITY (CEA)

SOLUTION

What is Projectile?
A projectile is any object thrown into space upon which the only acting force is gravity. The primary force
acting on a projectile is gravity. This doesn’t necessarily mean that other forces do not act on it, just that their
effect is minimal compared to gravity. The path followed by a projectile is known as a trajectory. A baseball
batted or thrown is an example of the projectile.
What is Projectile Motion?
When a particle is thrown obliquely near the earth’s surface, it moves along a curved path under constant
acceleration that is directed towards the center of the earth (we assume that the particle remains close to the
surface of the earth). The path of such a particle is called a projectile and the motion is called projectile motion.
In a Projectile Motion, there are two simultaneous independent rectilinear motions:
1. Along the x-axis: uniform velocity, responsible for the horizontal (forward) motion of the particle.
2. Along y-axis: uniform acceleration, responsible for the vertical (downwards) motion of the particle.
Acceleration in the horizontal projectile motion and vertical projectile motion of a particle: When a particle is
projected in the air with some speed, the only force acting on it during its time in the air is the acceleration due
to gravity (g). This acceleration acts vertically downward. There is no acceleration in the horizontal direction,
which means that the velocity of the particle in the horizontal direction remains constant.
Parabolic Motion of Projectiles
Let us consider a ball projected at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal x-axis with the initial velocity u as
shown below:
The point O is called the point of projection; θ is the angle of projection and OB = Horizontal Range or Simply
Range. The total time taken by the particle from reaching O to B is called the time of flight.
For finding different parameters related to projectile motion, we can make use of differential equations of
motions.
V=u-gt
S=ut-(1/2)gt2
V2=u2-2gs

Total Time of Flight:

Resultant displacement (s) = 0 in Vertical direction. Therefore, by using the Equation of motion:
gt2 = 2(uyt – sy) [Here, uy = u sin θ and sy = 0]
i.e. gt2 = 2t × u sin θ
Therefore, the total time of flight (t):

Total Time of Flight =

Horizontal Range:
Horizontal Range (OA) = Horizontal component of velocity (ux) × Total Flight Time (t)
R = u cos θ × 2u×sinθg
Therefore, in a projectile motion the Horizontal Range is given by (R):

Horizontal Range(R)

Maximum Height:
It is the highest point of the trajectory (point A). When the ball is at point A, the vertical component of the
velocity will be zero. i.e. 0 = (u sin θ)2 – 2g Hmax [s = Hmax , v = 0 and u = u sin θ]
Therefore, in projectile motion, the Maximum Height is given by (Hmax):

Maximum Height (Hmax)

The equation of Trajectory:

Equation of Trajectory This is the Equation of Trajectory in projectile motion, and it

proves that the projectile motion is always parabolic in nature.

a) Calculate the height at which the shell explodes
By “height” we mean the altitude or vertical position y above the starting point. The highest point in
any trajectory, called the apex, is reached when vy = 0. Since we know the initial and final velocities, as well as
the initial position, we use the following equation to find y:

Because y0 and vy are both zero, the equation simplifies to

Solving for y gives

Now we must find v0y, the component of the initial velocity in the y direction. It is given by v0y = v0 sinθ0θ0,
where v0 is the initial velocity of 70.0 m/s and θ0θ0 = 75° is the initial angle. Thus

and y is

Thus, we have
y=233m

Note that because up is positive, the initial vertical velocity is positive, as is the maximum height, but the
acceleration resulting from gravity is negative. Note also that the maximum height depends only on the vertical
component of the initial velocity, so that any projectile with a 67.6-m/s initial vertical component of velocity
reaches a maximum height of 233 m (neglecting air resistance). The numbers in this example are reasonable for
large fireworks displays, the shells of which do reach such heights before exploding. In practice, air resistance is
not completely negligible, so the initial velocity would have to be somewhat larger than that given to reach the
same height.
b) How much time passed between the launch of the shell and the explosion
As in many physics problems, there is more than one way to solve for the time the projectile reaches its highest
point. In this case, the easiest method is to use vy = v0y − gt. Because vy = 0 at the apex, this equation reduces
0=v0y−gt
Or

This time is also reasonable for large fireworks. If you are able to see the launch of fireworks, notice that
several seconds pass before the shell explodes. Another way of finding the time is by using y = y0 + 1/2 (v0y +
vy)t. This is left for you as an exercise to complete.
(A) Because air resistance is negligible, ax = 0 and the horizontal velocity is constant, as discussed earlier. The
horizontal displacement is the horizontal velocity multiplied by time as given by x = x 0 + vxt, where x0 is equal
to zero. Thus,
x=vxt
where vx is the x-component of the velocity, which is given by
vx=v0cosθ=(70.0m/s)cos750

Time t for both motions is the same, so x is

x=(18.1m/s)(6.90s)=125m

c) What is the horizontal displacement of the shell when it explodes

Horizontal motion is a constant velocity in the absence of air resistance. The horizontal displacement found here
could be useful in keeping the fireworks fragments from falling on spectators. When the shell explodes, air
resistance has a major effect, and many fragments land directly below.