Projectile motion: trajectory equation

A question is this type if and only if you must derive or use the Cartesian equation of a projectile's path (eliminating time to get y in terms of x).

6 questions · Standard +0.0

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OCR MEI M1 2005 January Q7
17 marks Standard +0.3
7 The trajectory ABCD of a small stone moving with negligible air resistance is shown in Fig. 7. AD is horizontal and BC is parallel to AD . The stone is projected from A with speed \(40 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\) at \(50 ^ { \circ }\) to the horizontal. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{c84a748a-a6f4-48c5-b864-fe543569bdf5-4_341_1107_484_498} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 7}
\end{figure}
  1. Write down an expression for the horizontal displacement from A of the stone \(t\) seconds after projection. Write down also an expression for the vertical displacement at time \(t\).
  2. Show that the stone takes 6.253 seconds (to three decimal places) to travel from A to D . Calculate the range of the stone. You are given that \(X = 30\).
  3. Calculate the time it takes the stone to reach B . Hence determine the time for it to travel from A to C.
  4. Calculate the direction of the motion of the stone at \(\mathbf { C }\). Section B (36 marks)
OCR MEI M1 2008 June Q6
6 marks Moderate -0.8
6 In this question take \(\boldsymbol { g } = \mathbf { 1 0 }\).
A golf ball is hit from ground level over horizontal ground. The initial velocity of the ball is \(40 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\) at an angle \(\alpha\) to the horizontal, where \(\sin \alpha = 0.6\) and \(\cos \alpha = 0.8\). Air resistance may be neglected.
  1. Find an expression for the height of the ball above the ground \(t\) seconds after projection.
  2. Calculate the horizontal range of the ball. \begin{figure}[h]
    \includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{170edb27-324e-44df-8dc1-7d8fbad680fe-4_358_447_360_849} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 7.1}
    \end{figure} A box of mass 8 kg is supported by a continuous light string ACB that is fixed at A and at B and passes through a smooth ring on the box at C, as shown in Fig. 7.1. The box is in equilibrium and the tension in the string section AC is 60 N .
OCR MEI M1 2016 June Q5
7 marks Standard +0.3
5 Mr McGregor is a keen vegetable gardener. A pigeon that eats his vegetables is his great enemy.
One day he sees the pigeon sitting on a small branch of a tree. He takes a stone from the ground and throws it. The trajectory of the stone is in a vertical plane that contains the pigeon. The same vertical plane intersects the window of his house. The situation is illustrated in Fig. 5. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{4c8c96cf-5184-46e4-9c45-a8a80d0a6ff8-4_400_1221_1078_411} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 5}
\end{figure}
  • The stone is thrown from point O on level ground. Its initial velocity is \(15 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\) in the horizontal direction and \(8 \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\) in the vertical direction.
  • The pigeon is at point P which is 4 m above the ground.
  • The house is 22.5 m from O .
  • The bottom of the window is 0.8 m above the ground and the window is 1.2 m high.
Show that the stone does not reach the height of the pigeon. Determine whether the stone hits the window.
OCR MEI Paper 1 2024 June Q14
7 marks Standard +0.3
14 A man runs at a constant speed of \(4 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\) along a straight horizontal road. A woman is standing on a bridge that spans the road. At the instant that the man passes directly below the woman she throws a ball with initial speed \(u \mathrm {~ms} ^ { - 1 }\) at \(\alpha ^ { \circ }\) above the horizontal. The path of the ball is directly above the road. The man catches the ball 2.4 s after it is thrown. At the instant the man catches it, the ball is 3.6 m below the level of the point of projection.
  1. Explain what it means that the ball is modelled as a particle.
  2. Find the vertical component of the ball's initial velocity.
  3. Find each of the following.
OCR MEI Paper 1 2021 November Q10
11 marks Moderate -0.3
10 A ball is thrown upwards with a velocity of \(29.4 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\).
  1. Show that the ball reaches its maximum height after 3 s .
  2. Sketch a velocity-time graph for the first 5 s of motion.
  3. Calculate the speed of the ball 5 s after it is thrown. A second ball is thrown at \(u \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\) at an angle of \(\alpha ^ { \circ }\) above the horizontal. It reaches the same maximum height as the first ball.
  4. Use this information to write down
    This second ball reaches its greatest height at a point which is 48 m horizontally from the point of projection.
  5. Calculate the values of \(u\) and \(\alpha\).
OCR MEI M1 Q1
19 marks Standard +0.3
1 A small firework is fired from a point O at ground level over horizontal ground. The highest point reached by the firework is a horizontal distance of 60 m from O and a vertical distance of 40 m from O , as shown in Fig. 7. Air resistance is negligible. \begin{figure}[h]
\includegraphics[alt={},max width=\textwidth]{362d5995-bd39-4b07-b6a4-63eb1dd3e69d-1_611_1047_486_538} \captionsetup{labelformat=empty} \caption{Fig. 7}
\end{figure} The initial horizontal component of the velocity of the firework is \(21 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\).
  1. Calculate the time for the firework to reach its highest point and show that the initial vertical component of its velocity is \(28 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\).
  2. Show that the firework is \(\left( 28 t - 4.9 t ^ { 2 } \right) \mathrm { m }\) above the ground \(t\) seconds after its projection. When the firework is at its highest point it explodes into several parts. Two of the parts initially continue to travel horizontally in the original direction, one with the original horizontal speed of \(21 \mathrm {~m} \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\) and the other with a quarter of this speed.
  3. State why the two parts are always at the same height as one another above the ground and hence find an expression in terms of \(t\) for the distance between the parts \(t\) seconds after the explosion.
  4. Find the distance between these parts of the firework
    (A) when they reach the ground,
    (B) when they are 10 m above the ground.
  5. Show that the cartesian equation of the trajectory of the firework before it explodes is \(y = \frac { 1 } { 90 } \left( 120 x - x ^ { 2 } \right)\), referred to the coordinate axes shown in Fig. 7.