Mechanics: Vectors and Projectiles
Vectors and Projectiles: Audio Guided Solution
Problem 27:
Aaron Agin and Bud Derfenger are lab partners who last year earned a reputation for breaking beakers, spilling acid, mixing the wrong chemicals, breaking thermometers and accidentally lighting Sophia’s hair on fire with a Bunsen burner. And now to the delight of the physics class, Mr. H has made the mistake of allowing them to partner again. In a recent lab which utilized expensive tracks and carts, Aaron and Bud lived up to their reputation. Despite strong warnings from Mr. H, they allowed a cart to roll off the track and then off the table with a speed of 208 cm/s. The crash of the cart to the floor a horizontal distance of 96.3 cm from the table’s edge turned the entire classroom silent. Use this information to determine the height of the lab tables in Mr. H’s lab.
Audio Guided Solution
Habits of an Effective Problem Solver
- Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
- Identify the known and unknown quantities in an organized manner. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity - e.g., vox = 12.4 m/s, voy = 0.0 m/s, dx = 32.7 m, dy = ???.
- Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
- Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
- Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.
Read About It!
Get more information on the topic of Vectors and Projectiles at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.
- What is a Projectile?
- Characteristics of a Projectile's Trajectory
- Horizontal and Vertical Displacement
- Horizontally Launched Projectiles Problems
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