Name: ___________________________________
Date: _____________
Physics
3.6.3 Horizontal Projectile Motion
Directions: Use the T-chart method to solve the following projectile motion problems. Show all work on a separate
sheet of paper.
Example: A hungry coyote is fired horizontally from a cannon at the top of a
100 meter tall cliff with an initial speed of 50 m/s.
a. How much time does it take the coyote to hit the ground?
b. How far will the coyote go in the horizontal direction?
c. With what velocity will the coyote hit the ground? (speed and direction)
1
2
d
a. dy = viy t + ay t 2
b. v̅x = tx
dx = v̅x t
dx = (50 m/s)(4.51 s)
𝐝𝐱 = 𝟐𝟐𝟓. 𝟗 𝐦
1
−100 m = (0 m/s)t + (−9.8 m/s2 )t 2
2
t 2 = 20.4
𝐭 = 𝟒. 𝟓𝟏 𝐬
c. Find the y component of the final
velocity, then add the x and y
components together:
vfy = vi + at
vfy = 0 m/s + (−9.8 m/s 2 )(4.51 s)
vfy = −44.2 m/s
Vfx=50 m/s
θ
R
Vfy=-44.2 m/s
Use Pythagorean’s Theorem to find
magnitude
c = √a2 + b 2
R = √(50 m/s)2 + (−44.2 m/s)2
𝐑 = 𝟔𝟔. 𝟕 𝐦/𝐬
Resultant Velocity:
66.7 m/s at 41.5o below the horizontal
Use tangent to find the direction
opposite
tan θ =
adjacent
−44.2 m/s
tan θ =
50 m/s
𝛉 = 𝟒𝟏. 𝟓𝐨 below the horizontal
a.
b.
c.
1
0.55 s
22.1 m
40.3 m/s 7.7o above the
horizontal (ath)
2
0.25 s
0.306 m
40.07 m/s
3.5o ath
3
2.86 s
5.25 m/s
4
0.45 s
3.32 m/s
5.52 m/s
53o ath
5
164.84 m
145 m
62.1 m/s
66.3o ath
6
No
146.7 m
before the
target
7
No
He needs 1.33 seconds to reach
the opposite side of the gorge. In
that time, he will have fallen 8.7
meters, which is beyond his reach
1. Wile E. Coyote fires an arrow horizontally at a speed of 40 m/s from a bow held 1.5 meters above the ground toward
the unsuspecting Road Runner. The arrow misses the Road Runner and hits the ground.
a. How much time does it take for the arrow to hit the ground?
b. How far does the arrow travel horizontally before hitting the ground?
c. What velocity does the arrow have at impact with the ground? (speed and direction- help on previous page)
2. Disgruntled by his failure, Wile E. Coyote practices his aim. He shoots another arrow at the same speed from the
same height after carefully aiming it at the center of a target’s bullseye, which is also located 1.5 meters above the
ground. This time the arrow hits the target, which is 10 meters away.
a. How much time does it take for the arrow to strike the target?
b. How far below the center of the bullseye does the arrow strike the target?
c. What is the arrow’s velocity at impact? (speed and direction)
3. Meanwhile, Carlton the Cliff-Diving Koala is preparing to jump off a cliff to the water below. He must clear rocks
that extend 15 meters out from the cliff’s edge when diving from a cliff that is 40 meters above the water.
a. How much time passes before the Carlton hits the water after jumping?
b. What minimum horizontal speed must Carlton must have in order to just clear the rocks below?
4. Down the street, you conduct a physics experiment where a ball rolls off a 1 meter tall table and hits the floor 1.5
meters horizontally from the edge of the table.
a. How much time does it take for the ball to hit the ground?
b. How fast is the ball moving horizontally as it leaves the table edge?
c. What velocity does the ball have on impact with the ground? (speed and direction)
5. After realizing he’s a horrible shot, Wile E. Coyote comes up with a new plan. He shoots himself off a cliff with a
huge spring, attempting to land on the Road Runner below (who is standing 50 meters from the cliff’s base). He
fires himself horizontally off the cliff at a speed of 25 m/s. He hits the canyon floor below 5.8 seconds later.
a. How high is the cliff?
b. How far out from the cliff edge does he land in the canyon below? Does he land on the Road Runner?
c. What velocity does he have on impact? (speed and direction)
6. Elmer Fudd aims a rifle horizontally at shoulder height (1.5 meters above the ground) at a Bugs Bunny’s head, which
is 700 meters away (his head is also 1.5 meters above the ground). The bullet leaves the barrel with a muzzle
velocity of 1000 m/s.
a. Does the bullet hit Bugs?
b. If so, where does it strike Bugs (tell me how far below his head he is shot)? If not, where does it hit the
ground?
7. Sher Khan (the tiger from Jungle Book) leaps horizontally at 15 m/s across a 20 meter wide gorge on a trail, trying to
reach Baloo on the other side. The edge he leaves is level with the edge he is aiming for. With front legs
outstretched, he can grab and claw his way up over the opposite ledge as long as he doesn’t have to reach more
than 1.5 meters above where he lands against the opposite wall of the gorge. Does he make it? Justify your answer.