Question

You can use any coordinate system you like in order to solve a projectile motion problem. To demonstrate the truth of this statement, consider a ball thrown off the top of a building with a velocity v at an angle θ with respect to the horizontal. Let the building be 44.0 m tall, the initial horizontal velocity be 8.60 m/s, and the initial vertical velocity be 10.5 m/s. Choose your coordinates such that the positive y-axis is upward, and the x-axis is to the right, and the origin is at the point where the ball is released.

Answer 1

In projectile motion problems, any coordinate system can be used. In this specific example, we choose a coordinate system with the positive y-axis upward and the x-axis to the right, with the origin at the point where the ball is released. This allows for separate analysis of the ball's motion in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Step-by-step explanation:

When solving problems involving projectile motion, you can use any coordinate system you like.

In this specific example, we choose the positive y-axis to be upward and the x-axis to be to the right, with the origin at the point where the ball is released.

By doing this, we can easily analyze the motion of the ball in the vertical and horizontal directions separately.

In the vertical direction, the initial vertical velocity is 10.5 m/s and the ball lands 44.0 m below its starting altitude.

This information allows us to determine that the ball spends 3.96 seconds in the air.

In the horizontal direction, the initial horizontal velocity is 8.60 m/s, which remains constant throughout the motion. Using these values, we can calculate the final horizontal and vertical velocities, as well as the total velocity and the angle it makes with the horizontal.