AP Physics 2: Kinematics—Two Dimension Name __________________________

A. Vectors
1. vectors and scalars river current  vboat vboat + vwater
a. d, v and a have magnitude (how much) and
direction (which way)  vectors vwater
b. t, m, distance, speed only have magnitude 
scalars
c. arrow is used to symbolize a vector
1. arrow points in the vector’s direction
2. magnitude  arrow's length
2. addition of vectors—tail to tip method
vectors are laid out tail to tip; the sum (resultant)
equals the length and angle of the line that connects
the tail of the first vector to the tip of the last vector

R=A+B

3. addition of vectors—component method

 an x-y coordinate system is established and  is
measured counterclockwise from +x-axis (0o)
y = 90o

B
B

A

 A



x = 0o
 x-component and y-component for each vector are
calculated (R = magnitude;  = direction)
cos = adjacent/hypotenuse  Rx = Rcos
sin = opposite/hypotenuse  Ry = Rsin
y Rx = A x + B x Bx= BcosB

B By = BsinB

Ry = A y + B y R

Ay = AsinA
A

x
Ax = AcosA
 Rx = Ax + Bx = AcosA + BcosB
 Ry = Ay + By = AsinA + BsinB
 R = (Rx2 + Ry2)½
 tan = Ry/Rx   = tan-1(Ry/Rx)
 add 180o to  when Rx is negative
4. relative motion
a. observed velocity of an object depends on the
motion of the observer relative to the object
b. observed acceleration is the same for any non-
accelerating observer
c. example: a boat is traveling vboat with respect to
the water, but the water current is vwater with
respect to the Earth  the boat velocity with
respect to the Earth is vector sum: v = vboat + vwater
B. Projectile Motion
1. projectile's horizontal velocity is constant
2. projectile's vertical velocity is immediately affected by
the downward acceleration of gravity
3. solving projectile motion problems
a. general solution
 determine vxo = vocos and vyo = vosin
 complete the "y" row in the data chart for all values
in the vertical direction ( is negative)
 complete the "x" row in the data chart for all values
in the horizontal direction (vxo = vx)
 time is the same for y and x directions
direction d vo vt a t
y dy vyo vyt -10 m/s2
t
x dx vx
 solve for unknown in the vertical direction with
dy = vyot + ½gt2 vyt = vyo + gt vyt2 = vyo2 + 2gdy
no vyt no dy no t
 solve for unknown in the x direction with dx = vxt
b. projectile launched horizontally from height h
 data chart
direction d vo vt a t
y -h 0 vyt -10 m/s2
t
x dx vx = vo
 solve for unknown in the vertical direction with
h = ½gt2 vyt = gt vyt2 = 2gh
 solve for unknown in the x direction with dx = vxt
c. projectile launched at angle o from height 0

 determine vxo = vocoso and vyo = vosino

 data chart—highest point
direction d vo vt a t
y dy vyo 0 -10 m/s2
t
x dx vx
 solve for unknown in the vertical direction with
vyo = gt 0 = vyo2 + 2gdy
no dy no t
 solve for unknown in the x direction with dx = vxt
 data chart—landing point
direction d vo vt a t
y 0 vyo -vyo -10 m/s2
t
x dx vx
 solve for unknown in the vertical direction
with
2vyo = gt
no dy
 solve for unknown in the x direction with dx = vxt
d. projectile launched at angle o from height h
 determine vxo = vocos and vyo = vosin
 data chart—landing point
direction d vo vt a t
y dy vyo vyt -10 m/s2
t
x dx vx
 solve for unknown in the vertical direction with
 dy = vyot + ½at2 vyt = vyo + at vyt2 = vyo2 + 2ady
no vyt no dy no t
 solve for unknown in the x direction with dx = vxt
 A. Vectors
Questions 1-12 Briefly explain your answer.
1. If two vectors A + B = 0, what can you say about the
magnitude and direction of the two vectors?
(A) same magnitude but opposite direction
(B) same magnitude and direction
(C) different magnitude and opposite direction
(D) different magnitude and same direction
12. Alice and Bill set off across a river at the same time and
with the same speed with respect to the water. Alice
heads straight across and is pulled downstream by the
current. Bill heads upstream at an angle so as to arrive at
a point opposite the starting point. Who reaches the
opposite side first?
(A) Alice (B) Bill (C) tie

13. A student jogs 100 m at 60o north of east. What are the x-
2 2 2
2. Given vectors A + B = C and |A| + |B| = |C| , how are the and y-components of the displacement vector?
vectors A and B oriented with respect to each other?
(A) perpendicular
(B) parallel in the opposite direction
14. Determine the resultant for each situation below.
(C) parallel in the same direction
(D) 45o from each other a. 8 m north + 6 m north
magnitude direction
8m+6m
3. Given vectors A + B = C and |A| + |B| = |C|, how are the
vectors A and B oriented with respect to each other? 8m+6m
(A) perpendicular
(B) parallel in the opposite direction 8m+6m
(C) parallel in the same direction 
(D) 45o from each other 15. a. Label the x-y grid below:
(1) north, south, east, west
(2) 0o, 90o, 180o, and 270o
4. If each component of a vector is doubled, what happens to b. Draw a displacement vector of 20 m 30o north of east
the angle of the vector? (1 cm = 10 m scale)
(A) doubles (B) the same (C) reduced by half

5. If each component of a vector is equal in length, what is

the angle of the vector?
(A) 30o (B) 45o (C) 60o (D) 30o or 60o
16. Adding Vectors
a. Measure the magnitude and angle of vector A and B
6. If one of the components is half the length of the vector,
what is the angle of the vector?
(A) 30o (B) 45o (C) 60o (D) 30o or 60o B
A

Questions 7-8 Vx = 30 units Vy = 40 units.

7. What is the magnitude of the resultant V?
(A) 30 units (B) 40 units (C) 50 units (D) 70 units Vector Magnitude (L) Angle ()
A
8. What is the angle of the resultant V? B
(A) 37o (B) 45o (C) 53o (D) 37o or 53o b. Calculate the x- and y-components of the two vectors and
then add the x-components to determine the resultant
x-component and repeat with the y-components.
9. You are adding vectors of length 20 units and 40 units. Vecto
x-component y-component
What is the only possible resultant magnitude? r
(A) 0 (B) 18 (C) 37 (D) 64 A
B
Questions 10-11 Two students are tossing a ball back and R
forth in the aisle of a train. The velocity of the ball is vB and c. Calculate the magnitude and angle of the resultant.
the velocity of the train is vT. Vector magnitude direction
10. What is the velocity of the ball with respect the ground if the
velocities of the ball and train are in the same direction? R
(A) vB + vT (B) vB – vT (C) 0 d. Draw the resultant vector on the diagram and measure
its magnitude and angle.
Vector Magnitude Angle
11. What is the velocity of the ball with respect the ground if the R
velocities of the ball and train are in the opposite direction?
(A) vB + vT (B) vB – vT (C) 0 e. Determine the percent difference between the two.
Magnitude Angle
 21. Bill's boat has a maximum speed is 4 m/s. He directs the
boat upstream to correct for a 3 m/s current going south,
17. Consider the following vectors, A and B. so that he goes the shortest distance due east to cross the
Vector A B 800 m river.
Magnitud 8.0 cm 4.0 cm
e
Angle 25o 150o
a. Calculate the x-component and y-component of each
vector and then determine the x-component and y-
component of the resultant R.
Vector x-component y-component
A

R
b. Calculate the magnitude and angle of the resultant.
Vector Magnitude Angle
R
18. Consider the following vectors, A, B and C.
Vector Magnitude Angle
A 12 cm 45o
B 8 cm 135o
C 10 cm -75o
a. Calculate the x- and y-component of vectors A, B and
C and then determine the resultant's
components.
Vector x-component y-component
A

R
b. Calculate the magnitude and angle of the resultant.
Vector magnitude direction
R
19. A boat travels at 1.85 m/s (vboat) in a river whose current
(vwater) is 1.20 m/s west. Determine the velocity of the boat
with respect to the ground for each situation.
a. the boat is headed due east?

b. the boat is headed due north?

20. Alice's boat heads due east at 4 m/s across a river that is
800 m across. The water current of 3 m/s south pushes
the boat downstream.
a. What is the velocity of the boat with respect to Earth?

b. What is the boat's heading?

c. How far did the boat travel?

d. How much time did it take to cross the river?

 a. What is the velocity of the boat with respect
to Earth?

b. What is the boat's heading?

c. How much time did it take to cross the river?

22. A FedEx plane travels from New York to Los Angeles

(4,000 km), stays in LA for 90 minutes to refuel and unload
and reload cargo, and then returns to NY. The plane's air
speed is 800 km/hr and the west to east wind current is
100 km/hr. How long does it take for the round trip?

B. Projectile Motion
Questions 23-36 Briefly explain your answer.
23. A small cart is rolling a constant velocity on a flat track. It
fires a ball straight up into the air as it moves. Where does
the ball land?
(A) In front of the cart
(B) in the cart
(C) behind the cart

24. A small cart accelerates on a flat track. It fires a ball

straight up into the air as it speeds up. Where does the
ball land?
(A) In front of the cart
(B) in the cart
(C) behind the cart

25. A small cart accelerates down an inclined track. the ball is

fired straight out (perpendicular to the track) as the cart
accelerates down the track. Where does the ball land?
(A) In front of the cart
(B) in the cart
(C) behind the cart

26. You drop a package from a plane flying at constant speed

in a straight line. Without air resistance, the package will
(A) lag behind the plane as it falls
(B) remain directly beneath the plane as it falls
(C) move ahead of the plane as it falls

Questions 27-28 From the same height and at the same time,
ball A is dropped and ball B is fired horizontally.
27. Which ball will land first?
(A) A (B) B (C) tie

28. Which ball has the greater velocity when it lands?

(A) A (B) B (C) tie

29. A projectile is launched at an angle of 30o. At what point in

its trajectory does the projectile have the lowest speed?
(A) at the start (B) at the middle (C) at the end
30. Which punt has the longest hang time, or do they tie? 37. A ball is thrown horizontally at 10 m/s from a bridge that is
20 m above the water.
a. Complete the chart
d vo vt a t
y
A B C x
b. How long does it take for the ball to hit the
31. Which throw from the outfield will reach second base first? water?

c. How far horizontally does the ball travel?

38. A rescue plane (traveling horizontally at 70 m/s) wants to

A B second base drop supplies to climbers on a rocky ridge 235 m below.
a. Complete the chart
d vo vt a t
32. The two identical projectiles use the same launcher. Path
y
A takes place on Earth and path B on the Moon, where g
is 1/6 Earth's. x
b. How long does it take for the supplies to fall
235 m?
A B
Which accounts for the greatest difference between the c. How far in advance must the supplies be
two paths?
(A) The initial velocity on the Moon is greater than on
dropped?
Earth.
(B) The downward acceleration on the Moon is less than
on Earth. d. What is the line of sight angle from the plane
(C) The airless environment on the Moon allows for the to ridge?
horizontal velocity to remain constant.

33. The spring loaded gun can launch rubber balls from e. What is the vertical velocity, vyt?
ground level at different angles with the same launch
speed. What is the best angle for maximizing the
horizontal distance that the ball travels before landing? f. With what speed do the supplies land?
(Assume no air resistance)
(A) 0o (B) 30o (C) 45o (D) 60o
39. A ball is thrown from the top of a 20 m building with an initial
velocity of 10 m/s at various angles. Complete the charts.
Questions 34-36 You are at ground level and aim your spring a. The ball is thrown at 0o

loaded dart gun directly at your friend. d vo vt a t

34. Your friend is standing on a 3 foot wall and jumps off of y
the wall just as you shoot the gun. Does the dart hit him?
x
(A) yes (B) no
t

dx
35. Your friend is standing on an 8 foot wall and jumps off of
the wall just as you shoot the gun. Does the dart hit him?
(A) yes (B) no vyt

vy
36. Your friend is standing on an 8 foot wall aiming his dart b. The ball is thrown at 90o

gun directly at you. At the instant he shoots his gun you d vo vt a t

shoot yours. Do the darts hit each other? y
(A) yes (B) no
x

vyt
c. The ball is thrown at -90o

d vo vt a t
 y d. What is vo?
x

t e. What is ?
vyt
d. The ball is thrown at 37o
d vo vt a t
y
x

dx

vyt

vy
40. A soccer ball is kicked 20 m/s at an angle of 30o.
a. Determine the x- and y- components of the velocity vo?
vxo

vyo
b. Complete the chart for the ball when it lands.
d vo vt a t
y
x
c. What is the total time in the air?

d. What is the total distance the ball travels horizontally?

e. Complete the chart for the ball at its highest point.

d vo vt a t
y
x
f. What is the maximum height?

g. Graph the following.

Displacement Velocity Acceleration
Horizont
t t t
al

Vertical t t t

41. A projectile, fired with velocity vo and angle , lands on a

cliff, which is 195 m away and 155 m high, in 7.6 s.
a. Complete the chart
d vo vt a t
y
x
b. What is vxo?

c. What is vyo?
 Catapult Lab c. What is the line of sight angle from the plane to
42. Determine the optimum setting (listed below) for the ping- ridge?
pong ball catapult by measuring the distance in the air.
L1: length of arm from rubber band to axel
L2: length of arm from cup to axel d. What is the vertical velocity vyt?
: launch angle
A: rubber band anchor
a. Complete the data chart e. With what speed do the supplies land?
Distance
L1 L2  A
1 2 3 Avg
1 4 8 11 45. A soccer ball is kicked 30 m/s at an angle of 60o.
2 4 8 11 a. Determine the x- and y- components of the velocity vo.
3 4 8 11 vxo
5 8 11
vyo
6 8 11
b. Complete the chart for the ball when it lands.
7 8 11
d vo vt a t
Max 9 11 y
10 11 x
max
12 c. What is the total time in the air?
max
13
Adjust the catapult to the maximum settings. Launch the
ping-pong ball and measure horizontal distance in the air, d. What is the total distance the ball travels
time in the air, and launch arm height.
b. Collect the following data. horizontally?
L1 L2  A dx t dy

c. Calculate the following from the data.

e. What is the maximum height?
Formula Calculation
vxo 46. A student throws a ball that lands on a cliff that is 60 m
away and 20 m above the student. The ball is in the air
vyo for 4 s.
d vo vt a t
vo y
x

Determine the following for the ball's initial velocity
43. A ball is thrown horizontally at 20 m/s from a bridge that is a. horizontal component
80 m above the water.
d vo vt a t
y
b. vertical component
x
a. How long does it take for the ball to hit the water?
c. magnitude
b. How far horizontally does the ball travel?

d. direction
44. A rescue plane, traveling horizontally at 100 m/s,
wants to drop supplies to climbers on a rocky ridge
125 m below. Practice Multiple Choice (no calculator)
d vo vt a t Briefly explain why the answer is correct in the space
y provided.
x 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
a. How long does it take for the supplies to fall 125 C B B C C D B B C A
m? 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
D B C D C B D D C
1. A machine launches a tennis ball at an angle = 25°
above the horizontal at an initial velocity vo = 14 m/s.
b. How far in advance must the supplies be Which combination of changes must produce an increase
dropped? in time of flight of a second launch?
(A) decrease  and vo (B) decrease  and increase vo
 (C) increase  and vo (D) increase  and decrease
vo
10. How far did the projectile travel horizontally before it struck
the ground?
2. Two spheres, A and B, are thrown horizontally from the top (A) 6,000 m (B) 7,000 m (C) 9,000 m (D) 10,000 m
of a tower; vA = 40 m/s and vB = 20 m/s. Which is true of
the time T in the air and horizontal distance d traveled?
(A) TA = TB, dA = dB (B) TA = TB, dA = 2dB
11. A projectile is fired with an initial velocity of 100 m/s at an
(C) TA = TB, 2dA = dB (D) TA > TB, dA > dB
angle  above the horizontal. If the projectile's initial
horizontal speed is 60 m/s, then angle  measures
approximately
3. A plane flying horizontally at 100 m/s drops a crate. What
(A) 30o (B) 37o (C) 40o (D) 53o
is the horizontal component of the crate's velocity just
before it strikes the ground 3 seconds later?
(A) 0 m/s (B) 100 m/s (C) 300 m/s (D) 400 m/s 12. A rock is dropped from the top of a 45-m tower, and at the
same time a ball is thrown from the top of the tower in a
horizontal direction. Air resistance is negligible. The ball
Questions 4-5 A ball slides off a roof, h = 10 m, with velocity, and the rock hit the level ground a distance of 30 m apart.
vx = 5 m/s. The horizontal velocity of the ball thrown was most nearly
vx (A) 5 m/s (B) 10 m/s (C) 15 m/s (D) 20 m/s
h

4. How much time is the ball in the air? 13. A projectile is fired from the surface of the Earth with a
speed of 200 m/s at an angle of 30° above the horizontal.
(A) 0.5 s (B) 0.7 s (C) 1.4 s (D) 2s If the ground is level, what is the maximum height reached
by the projectile?
(A) 5 m (B) 10 m (C) 500 m (D) 1,000 m
5. How far does the ball travel horizontally before hitting the
ground?
(A) 2.5 m (B) 5 m (C) 7 m (D) 10 m 14. Vectors V1 and V2 have equal magnitudes and represent
the velocities of an object at times t1 and t2, respectively.

6. A projectile is fired with initial velocity, vo, at an angle o.

Which pair of graphs represent the vertical components of

the velocity vy and acceleration ay of the projectile as The direction of acceleration between time t1 and t2 is
functions of time t? (A)  (B)  (C)  (D) 
(A) vy ay (B) vy ay

t t t t Questions 15-16 A person on the west side of a river, which runs

north to south, wishes to cross the 1-km wide river to a point
directly across from his starting point. The river current is 3
(C) vy ay (D) vy ay km/hr and the boat's maximum speed is 5 km/hr.
15. What direction should the person direct the boat?
t t t t (A) due east (B) due north
(C) 37o north of east (D) 53o north of east

Questions 7-10 A projectile is fired from the ground with an initial 16. How long will it take to reach the dock?
velocity of 250 m/s at an angle of 37o above horizontal. (A) 1/5 hr (B) 1/4 hr (C) 1/2 hr (D) 1 hr
7. What is the vertical component of the initial velocity?
(A) 100 m/s (B) 150 m/s (C) 200 m/s (D) 250 m/s
17. A stationary observer on the ground sees a package falling
with speed v1 at an angle to the vertical. At the same time,
8. How long is the projectile in the air (assume the projectile a pilot flying horizontally at constant speed relative to the
lands at the same elevation that it was fired)? ground sees the package fall vertically with speed v2.
What is the speed of the pilot relative to the ground?
(A) 25 s (B) 30 s (C) 45 s (D) 50 s (A) v1 + v2 (B) v1 – v2
(C) v2 – v1 (D) (v12 – v22)½

9. What is the horizontal component of the initial velocity?

(A) 100 m/s (B) 150 m/s (C) 200 m/s (D) 250 m/s 18. How much time is a rock in the air if it is thrown horizontally
off a building from a height h with a speed vo?
 (A) (hvo)½ (B) h/vo (C) hvo/g (D) (2h/g)½ Practice Free Response
1. A physics student kicks a ball across the football field. It
travels 50 m in 3.2 seconds.
19. A spring-loaded gun can fire a projectile to a height h if it is a. What is the x-component of the initial
fired straight up. If the same gun is pointed at an angle of
45° from horizontal, what maximum height can now be
velocity?
reached by the projectile?
(A) h/4 (B) h/22 (C) h/2 (D) h/2
b. What is the y-component of the initial
velocity?

c. What are the initial velocity's magnitude and direction?

d. Graph the following.

dx vx ax

t t t
dy vy ay

t t t

2. A rescue plane, traveling horizontally at 70 m/s, drops

supplies to mountain climbers on a rock ridge 235 m below.

a. How far in advance, x, are the supplies dropped?

b. Suppose, instead, that the plane releases the supplies

a horizontal distance of 425 m in advance of the
climbers. What vertical velocity (up or down) is given
to the supplies so that they reach the climbers?

3. Is it possible to hit a horizontal serve (without spin) that falls

within the service box and clear the 0.90 m net?