projectile motion

Question 1

projectile motion

Answer 1

movement of a body through the air following a curved flight path under the force of gravity

Question 2

projectile

Answer 2

a body that is launched into the air and subjected to weight and air resistance forces

Question 3

what are the 3 factors affecting horizontal distance travelled

Answer 3

• speed of release
• angle of release
• height of release

Question 4

speed of release

Answer 4

the greater the outgoing speed, the further it will travel due to Newtons 2nd law

Question 5

optimum angle of release

Answer 5

45 degrees

Question 6

what happens if the projectile is released at 90 degrees?

Answer 6

accelerates vertically upwards and straight back down to 0m

Question 7

what happens if the projectile is released >45 degrees?

Answer 7

it reaches peak height too quickly and rapidly returns to the ground

Question 8

what happens if the projectile is released <45 degrees?

Answer 8

it does not achieve sufficient height to maximise flight time

Question 9

what happens to the optimal angle if the height of release is higher than the landing height (positive relative release height)?

Answer 9

optimal angle is <45 degrees as the projectile has already increased flight time due to increased height of release

Question 10

what happens to the optimal angle if the height of release is lower than the landing height (negative relative release height)?

Answer 10

optimal angle in >45 degrees as the projectile needs an increased flight time to overcome the obstacle

Question 11

positive relative release height example

Answer 11

javelin

Question 12

negative relative release height example

Answer 12

bunker shot in golf

Question 13

parabola

Answer 13

a uniform curve symmetrical about its highest point

Question 14

parabolic flight path

Answer 14

a flight path symmetrical about its highest point caused by the dominant weight force of a projectile

Question 15

non-parabolic flight path

Answer 15

a flight path asymmetrical about its highest point caused by the dominant force of air resistance on the projectile

Question 16

which flight path will occur if weight is the dominant force?

Answer 16

parabolic

Question 17

example of a parabolic flight path

Answer 17

shotput as it has a high mass and low air resistance due to smoothness and low velocity

Question 18

which flight path will occur if air resistance is the dominant force?

Answer 18

non-parabolic

Question 19

example of a non-parabolic flight path

Answer 19

badminton shuttle as it has a low mass and high air resistance due to high velocity and an uneven surface

Question 20

what are the 3 phases of motion within a flight path?

Answer 20

• start of flight
• mid flight
• end of flight

Question 21

what happens at the highest point of a flight path?

Answer 21

gravity takes over accelerating the projectiles mass to the ground

Question 22

parallelogram of forces

Answer 22

a parallelogram illustrating the theory that a diagonal drawn from the point where forces are represented in size and direction shows the resultant force acting

Question 23

resultant forces

Answer 23

the sum of all forces acting on a body or the net force acting on a projectile

Question 24

what does the resultant force on a parallelogram of forces show?

Answer 24

• acceleration
• direction of acceleration
• flight path

Question 25

which flight path is occurring in the resultant force arrow is closer to the weight arrow?

Answer 25

parabolic as the weight force is dominant

Question 26

which flight path is occurring in the resultant force arrow is closer to the air resistance arrow?

Answer 26

non-parabolic as the air resistance force is dominant