Trinity Walton Club Activity Archive

In this first sample problem I take you through a fairly regular projectile motion problem where something is being launched from the ground and returns to the ground. The key to solving a projectile motion problem is to break the problem itself down into parts and also breaking the motion into the x and y coordinate system. In the y direction your acceleration will always be 9.81 m/s^2 and in the x direction your acceleration will typically be 0 (unless there is some sort of engine or force being consistently applied to the object after launch). The other key is to remember that time is shared, so the amount of time it takes to go up and down in the y direction is the same amount of time it has to move in the x-direction.