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Cogito

Precalculus · Chapter 7 · Lesson 2

Practice Worksheet

Projectile Motion

Two independent motions, happening at once.

12 problems · about 22 minutes · TEKS P.3.C

NameDate

Figure — use these to answer the problems

Flip the parabola downward. The height of a projectile against time has exactly this shape.
-8-8-6-6-4-4-2-222446688
y = -1x² + 4x + 0
a-1
b, launch speed upward4
c, starting height0
Figure 1

Warm Up

Straightforward practice. Get the method working first.

5 problems

  1. Launch at 30 m/s at 30°. What is the vertical component, in m/s?

    Answer

  2. What happens to the horizontal speed during flight, ignoring air resistance?

    • It stays constant, because gravity acts only downward.
    • It slows as the projectile rises.

  3. Launch at 40 m/s at 0°. What is the vertical component, in m/s?

    Answer

  4. Launch at 40 m/s at 90°. What is the horizontal component, in m/s?

    Answer

  5. Launch at 10 m/s at 30°. What is the vertical component, in m/s?

    Answer

Build It Up

The same ideas with more to keep track of.

3 problems

  1. Flight time 6 seconds. When is the peak, in seconds?

    Answer

  2. Horizontal speed 15 m/s for 4 seconds. What is the range, in metres?

    Answer

  3. Which launch angle gives the greatest range on level ground, in degrees?

    Answer

Stretch Yourself

Mixed problems. Work out what kind of question it is before you start.

4 problems

  1. Sort each quantity by which motion it belongs to.

    Write each item under the heading it belongs to: v cos θ · v sin θ · The range · The maximum height

    Horizontal

    Vertical

  2. Horizontal speed 20 m/s for 3 seconds. Range in metres?

    Answer

  3. The Components

    A ball is launched at 20 m/s at 30°. What is the vertical component, in m/s?

    Answerm/s

  4. The Halfway Point

    A projectile is in the air for 4 seconds. At what time, in seconds, does it reach its highest point?

    Answerseconds