General Physics 1

MODULE Relative Motion, Projectile Motion, & Circular

3 Motion

MODULE DURATION: 1 week

In this module, you will explore how to solve

problems in motion involving in 2- and 3-dimensions.
You will learn as well how to look for the right
projectile in launching an object to air towards a
specific target point. Furthermore, you will also know
the forces generating in the circular motion. Enjoy!

Task to perform:
You will be able to solve using experimental and
theoretical approaches, multiple concept, rich-content problems
involving motion in 2- and 3-dimension, projectile motion, and
circular motion.

At the end of this module, you must be able to:

 Describe motion using the concept of relative velocities in 1D and 2D.
 Deduce the consequences of the independence of vertical and horizontal
components of projectile motion.
 Calculate range, time of flight, and maximum heights of projectiles.
 Infer quantities associated with circular motion such as tangential
velocity, centripetal acceleration, tangential acceleration, and radius of
curvature.
 Solve problems involving two dimensional motion in contexts such as,
but not limited to ledge jumping, movie stunts basketball, safe locations
during firework displays, and Ferris wheels.

“If any of lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without
reproach, and it will be given to him.” – James 1:5
 What’s on Your Mind?

Instruction: Try to unlock the scrambled words by looking into their definitions provided per item.

___________1. It is an object with an initial velocity and whose path is determined by the effects of gravity and air
resistance. (EEILCTJRPO)
___________2. It is a state when an object falls under the influence of gravity alone. (EERFLLAF)
___________3. It has a constant acceleration of 9.8 m/s2. (YTIVAGR)
___________4. It is path followed by a projectile or the curve path of a projectile. (TRACEJTYOR)
___________5. It is a type of acceleration that is directed toward the center of the circle. (LATEPIRNEC)
-

LET’S BEGIN!

PROJECTILE MOTION
A projectile motion is an object with an initial velocity and whose path is determined by the effects of gravity
and air resistance. The path followed by a projectile called its trajectory. When you ignore the effect of air resistance,
the projectile is in the state of free fall because its path is determined entirely by gravity.

CASE 1: Projectile thrown horizontally

Without gravity, the ball with follow a straight line path with constant velocity. However, the vertical component
of its motion is affected by gravity just like a ball dropped from rest. For the horizontal component, the ball travels the
same horizontal distance at equal time intervals. The horizontal
component of the velocity is constant because the gravity only acts
downward. On the other hand, the vertical distances traveled are the
same as if the ball is simply dropped. The vertical position (distance)
becomes farther apart with the time interval, as the vertical component
of the velocity increases because of the downward pull of the gravity.

Though the horizontal and vertical components of the velocity are

analyzed separately, the actual velocity of the projectile is vector sum of
the horizontal and vertical velocities, and is directed tangent to its path.
NOTE: the trajectory path of the projectile is a “parabola.”

CASE 2: Projectile thrown at an upward angle

If there is no gravity, the ball would follow a straight line as shown by
the dashed line. However, because there is gravity, the ball will
continuously fall beneath the imaginary line until it strikes the ground.
Notice that vertical distances beneath any point on the dashed line are
the same distances the ball were dropped from rest at a particular
time.

*Things to remember:
1. Anywhere along its path of projectile, its acceleration is the constant acceleration due to gravity g, which has
magnitude 9.8 m/s2 and is directed downward.
2. At the top of its path, only the vertical velocity is zero. At this point, the velocity is purely horizontal because the
horizontal velocity is held constant.
Essential Equations to remember:
x component y component
𝒂𝒙 = 𝟎 𝑎𝑦 = −𝑔
𝒗𝒙 = 𝒗𝟎𝒙 = 𝒗𝟎 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽 𝒗𝒚 = 𝒗𝟎𝒚 − 𝒈𝒕 = 𝒗𝟎 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽 − 𝒈𝒕
𝒙 = 𝒗𝒙 𝒕 = 𝒗𝟎𝒙 𝒕 = (𝒗𝟎 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝜽)𝒕 𝟏 𝟏
𝒚 = 𝒗𝟎𝒚 𝒕 − 𝒈𝒕𝟐 = (𝒗𝟎 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝜽)𝒕 − 𝒈𝒕𝟐
𝟐 𝟐
Note: x and y are the respective displacement; vx and vy are the components of velocity; ax and ay are the components
of acceleration

Sample Solving Problem:

1. A cannon with muzzle speed of 1,000 m/s fired a cannonball horizontally off
the
edge of a cliff as shown on the right figure. Find the cannonball’s (a) position r
and (b) velocity v after 35.0 s.

Sol’n:
Place the origin of the coordinate system at the mouth of the cannon where the
Cannonball left with a speed of 1,000 m/s. Because the cannon was aimed horizontally, the initial velocity was purely
horizontal. Therefore, v0x = 1,000 m/s and v0y = 0 m/s.

a.) To find the r, compute the lengths of the sides of the right triangle that corresponds to the x and y components of r.
To solve for x, use the equation 𝒙 = 𝒗𝟎𝒙 𝒕 and substitute the given values.
𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑡 = (1,000 m/s)(35.0 s) = 35, 000 m = x
𝟏
For the y component, use 𝒚 = 𝒗𝟎𝒚 𝒕 − 𝟐 𝒈𝒕𝟐
1 𝑚 1 𝑚
𝑦 = 𝑣0𝑦 𝑡 − 2 𝑔𝑡 2 = (0 𝑠 ) (35.0 𝑠) − 2 (9.8 𝑠2 ) (35.0 𝑠)2
= 0 m – (4.9 m/s2)(1,225 s2)
= 0 m – 6,002.5 m = -6.002 m = y (This means moving downward)
To find the r, use Pythagorean Theorem.
r = √𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 = √(35,000 𝑚)2 + (−6,002.5)2 = 𝒓 = 𝟑𝟓, 𝟓𝟏𝟎 𝒎

Hence, the cannonball is 35,510.98 m or 35.5 km away from its initial position at time t= 35 s.

b.) To find the velocity of the cannon after 35.0s, note that its velocity is directed tangent to its path and that it has two
components: vx and vy . We already have the initial velocity of x which is equal to 1,000 m/s and so we have to find the
initial velocity of y. To solve for the velocity of y, use 𝒗𝒚 = 𝒗𝟎𝒚 − 𝒈𝒕
𝑚 𝑚
𝑣𝑦 = 𝑣0𝑦 − 𝑔𝑡 = (𝑜 𝑠 ) − (9.8 𝑠2 )(35 𝑠) = -343 m/s = 𝒗𝒚
To find the magnitude of the actual velocity, use Pythagorean Theorem.

r = √𝑣𝑥 2 + 𝑣𝑦 2 = √(1,000 𝑚/𝑠)2 + (−343 𝑚/𝑠)2 = 𝒓 = 𝟏, 𝟎𝟓𝟕. 𝟏𝟖 𝒎/

Finally, we solve for the angle 𝜃 measure from the x-axis.

𝑣 −343 𝑚/𝑠 343

tan 𝜃 = 𝑣𝑦 = 1,000 𝑚/𝑠 𝜃 = tan−1 (− 1,000) = 𝜽 = −𝟏𝟖. 𝟗° 𝒐𝒓 − 𝟏𝟗°
𝑥

The negative sign of this angle indicates that it is measured clockwise from the x-axis. Therefore, the velocity of
the cannonball after 35.0s is v = 1,057 m/s, -19°.

2. Imagine a baseball was pitched from a cliff 62m high with a velocity of 20 m/s. (a) How long will it take the ball to
reach the bottom of the cliff? (b) How far from the base of the cliff will it reach?
Sol’n:
Given: height of the cliff (y) = 62 m 𝑣0𝑥 = 20 𝑚/𝑠

Note: When a body is dropped from rest, the magnitude of its velocity and displacement may be easily computed with
v0 = 0 m/s.
𝟏
𝒗 = 𝒈𝒕 and 𝒚 = 𝟐 𝒈𝒕𝟐

a.) Time to reach the bottom of the cliff:

 2𝑦 1
𝑡 = √𝑔 (Manipulate the formula: 𝑦 = 2 𝑔𝑡 2 )

2(62𝑚)
=√ (Simplify)
9.8 𝑚/𝑠2 )

𝒕 = 𝟑. 𝟓𝟔 𝒔

𝑚
b.) Range of the baseball: 𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑡 = (20 𝑠 ) (3.56𝑠) = 𝟕𝟏. 𝟐 𝒎

3. A rock is thrown upward angle with 30 degrees angle off the

horizontal form the very edge of 100 m cliff with an initial velocity of
8.5 m/s. How long is before the rock hits the ground? How far from
the cliff will it land?

Source: https://youtu.be/aY8z2qO44WA

Sol’n:

a.) Solve for x- and y-component, using law of sin 𝜃 and cos 𝜃

So, we have now initial velocity in x-

component (7.36 m/s) and y-
component (4.25 m/s).
To solve for time before the rock
1
landed, use 𝑦 = 𝑣0𝑦 𝑡 − 2 𝑔𝑡 2 and then
substitute for the known variables.

1
𝑦 = 𝑣0𝑦 𝑡 − 2 𝑔𝑡 2
𝑚 1 𝑚
−100𝑚 = (4.25 )𝑡 − (9.8 2 )𝑡 2 (Disregard all the units except t to avoid confusion in solving)
𝑠 2 𝑠
1
−100 = 4.25𝑡 − 2 (9.8)𝑡 2 (Simplify and change to quadratic form)
2
0 = 100 + 4.25𝑡 − 4.9𝑡 4.9𝑡 2 − 4.25𝑡 − 100 = 0 (Arrange and simplify)
Then use the quadratic equation:
−𝑏 ± √𝑏 2 − 4𝑎𝑐
𝑡=
2𝑎
−(−4.25)±√(−4.25)2 −4(4.9)(−100)
= (Simplify)
2(4.9)
t = 4.97 s and -4.10 s (Note: There’s no such time as negative!)
Hence, the it took for the rock 4.97 s before it hits the ground.
b.) To solve for the distance covered from the cliff to the position the rock landed at 4.97 s, use 𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑡
𝑚
𝑥 = 𝑣0𝑥 𝑡 = (7.36 𝑠 ) (4.97𝑠) = 𝟑𝟔. 𝟓𝟖𝒎
Hence, it covered 36. 58 m away from the cliff.

NOTE: When the projectile travels a horizontal distance R, it returns to the same vertical level, or y = 0. You can
use these following formulae:

𝒗𝟐𝟎 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝟐 𝜽 𝒗𝟐𝟎 𝒔𝒊𝒏 𝟐𝜽

𝒉= 𝟐𝒈
𝑹= 𝒈

where h = maximum height; R = maximum horizontal distance; v0 = initial velocity

Therefore, for particular value of initial velocity, the maximum R may be achieved when 𝜃 = 45°.
Example: A ball is thrown at an angle of 30 degrees off the horizontal, with an initial velocity of 28 m/s. What is the
maximum height the ball will reach? How long does the ball travel?
Sol’n:
𝑣02 sin2 𝜃 (28 𝑚/𝑠)2 sin2 30° 784 𝑚2 /𝑠2 (sin 30°)2 196 𝑚2 /𝑠2
ℎ= = = = = 10 m (maximum height)
2𝑔 2(9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2 ) 19.6 𝑚/𝑠 2 19.6 𝑚/𝑠 2
𝑣02 𝑠𝑖𝑛 2𝜃 (28 𝑚/𝑠)2 𝑠𝑖𝑛 2(30°) 784 𝑚2 /𝑠2 sin 60° 678.96 𝑚2 /𝑠2
𝑅= = = = = 69.28 m (maximum range)
𝑔 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2 9.8 𝑚/𝑠 2

LET’S MOVE ON!

UNIFORM CIRCULAR MOTION

When a body moves in a circle with a constant speed, its motion is called “uniform circular motion.” At every point,
its velocity, called tangential velocity, is directed tangent to its circular path. Its tangential velocity changes in direction
but not in magnitude (speed). Thus, this velocity must be perpendicular to the acceleration at every point. In a circular
path, this type of acceleration, known as “radial acceleration or centripetal acceleration," is directed toward the center
of the circle.

Example of uniform circular motion include a satellite moving in a circular

orbit, a car rounding a curve with a constant radius and speed, an ice skater skating
in a circle with constant speed, a boy whirling a toy over his head and an electron
moving perpendicular to a uniform magnetic field.

If the radius of the circle is R, the radial acceleration arad and speed v of the body in uniform circular motion are
related by the following equation:
𝒗𝟐
𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅 =
𝑹
This can be also expressed in terms of the period (T) of the motion. Period is the time for one revolution (one
complete around the circle). For one period, the distance the body has traveled is equal to the circumference 2πR of the
circle. So its speed is
𝟐𝝅𝑹
𝒗=
𝑻
𝟒𝝅𝟐 𝑹
Substituting this to the equation for arad gives 𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒅 =
𝑻𝟐
Example:
1. The moon orbits around the Earth at a nearly circular path. It takes approximately 27.3 days for the moon to make one
whole revolution along a circle with a radius of about 384,000 km. Determine the speed of the moon and its radial
acceleration.
Sol’n:
24 hours
Convert first the 27.3 days to hours, so we have 27.3 days x 1 𝑑𝑎𝑦
= 655.2 hours
2𝜋𝑅 2𝜋(384,000 𝑘𝑚) 2,412,743.158 𝑘𝑚
Solve for speed: 𝑣= = = = 𝟑, 𝟔𝟖𝟐. 𝟒𝟓 𝒌𝒎/𝒉𝒓
𝑇 655.2 ℎ𝑟 655.2 ℎ𝑟

4𝜋 2 𝑅 4𝜋 2 (384,000 𝑘𝑚) 15,159,712.36 𝑘𝑚

Solve for radial acceleration: 𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑 = = = = 𝟑𝟓. 𝟑𝟏𝒌𝒎/𝒉𝒓𝟐
𝑇2 (655.2 ℎ𝑟)2 429,287.04 ℎ𝑟 2
or
𝑘𝑚 2
𝑣2 (3,682.45 ) 13,560,438 𝑘𝑚2 /ℎ𝑟 2
𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑑 = = ℎ𝑟
= = 𝟑𝟓. 𝟑𝟏 𝒌𝒎/𝒉𝒓𝟐
𝑅 384,000 𝑘𝑚 384,000 𝑘𝑚
 LET’S APPLY!

ASSESSMENT 1: Remember Me?

Direction: Write on the line the correct answer for each statement. (1 point each item)

_______________1. It is an object with an initial velocity and whose path is determined by the effects of gravity and air
resistance.
_______________2. It refers to the time for one revolution.
_______________3. In what angle does it take to obtain a maximum range in a horizontal plane?
_______________4. The path of the trajectory of a projectile is in a form of ______.
_______________5. It is the vector sum of the horizontal and vertical velocities, and is directed tangent to its path.
_______________6. It pertains to the path followed by a projectile.
_______________7. It is a type of acceleration in a circular path which is directed toward the center of the circle.
_______________8. At the top of projectile path, only the vertical velocity is equal to ______.
_______________9. In uniform circular motion, ______ is directed tangent to its circular path at evey point.
_______________10. Neglecting the effect of air resistance, the projectile is in the state of ______.

ASSESSMENT 2: I Can Do It!

Direction: Solve the following problems below and indicate your solutions on clean paper.
(5 points each item)

1. Find the initial velocity of a ball thrown at an angle of 50 degrees off the horizontal which reaches a maximum height
of 85 meters.

2. A ball thrown horizontally from the edge of the top of a building 44.10 m high strikes the ground 25 m from the foot
of the building. Find:

a. time it takes the ball to reach the ground; and

b. velocity just before the ball strikes the ground.

3. An object is thrown vertically upwards at a speed of 30 m/s at 20 degrees from the top of 150 m tall building. Find the
time taken for the object to hit the ground.

4. A child sits at a distance from the axis of merry-go-around in an amusement park. If the merry-go-round makes 500 m
in 1 minute, find the:

a. tangential velocity; and

b. centripetal acceleration