Name: ____________________

Unit P1-04 – Motion and Forces in 2D

Lesson Notes

P1-04-1: Vectors

You have studied five quantities that are vectors. Indicate those quantities here along with units.

Indicate how we show that an algebraic symbol represents a vector quantity.


Describe what components of a vector are. Draw the components of vector A
on the diagram to the right and label the components Ax and Ay. Indicate the
numerical values of the components Ax and Ay.

Describe the process of adding vectors graphically using the parallelogram

  
method. Draw this method to find the resultant R  A  B to the right.

A  ( _____ , _____ )

 B  ( _____ , _____ )

R  ( _____ , _____ )

Describe the process of adding vectors graphically

using the head-to-tail method. Draw this method to
   
find the resultant R  A  B  C to the right.

A  ( _____ , _____ )

B  ( _____ , _____ )

 C  ( _____ , _____ )

R  ( _____ , _____ )

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Describe how to add vectors by components. Verify the resultants of the two above vector addition examples
by adding the vectors graphically.

Describe how to subtract two vectors. Using the components of the vectors
     
shown to the right, calculate the resultants R1  A  B and R2  B  A .
 
A  ( _____ , _____ ) B  ( _____ , _____ )
 
  B  ( _____ , _____ )   A  ( _____ , _____ )
 
R1  ( _____ , _____ ) R2  ( _____ , _____ )

Describe how to calculate the components Ax Describe how to calculate the magnitude and
 
and Ay of a vector A given its magnitude |A| direction of vector A given its components.
and direction angle θA (measured from the +x-
axis where counterclockwise is positive
angles).

 
Describe how to multiply a vector by a scalar. Then, given A  (4,2) shown below, draw the vectors 2 A ,
    
 2 A , 12 A , and  12 A on the grid. Describe how to know if the resultant R  kA , in general, will be longer or
 
shorter than A , and whether the resultant will be in the same or opposite direction of A .

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Test Your Understanding: In the three examples below, a set of vectors is shown on the top grid. Using the
  
“parallelogram method”, draw the resultant R of vectors A and B . Then use the components to calculate the
components of the resultant and verify the resultant found graphically.

  
A  ( _____ , _____ ) A  ( _____ , _____ ) A  ( _____ , _____ )
  
 B  ( _____ , _____ )  B  ( _____ , _____ )  B  ( _____ , _____ )
  
R  ( _____ , _____ ) R  ( _____ , _____ ) R  ( _____ , _____ )

Test Your Understanding: In the three examples below, a set of vectors is shown on the top grid. In the

bottom grid, draw those vectors “head-to-tail”, and then draw the resultant R . Then use the components to
calculate the components of the resultant and verify the resultant found graphically.

  
A  ( _____ , _____ )
A  ( _____ , _____ ) A  ( _____ , _____ ) 
  B

 ( _____ , _____ )
 B  ( _____ , _____ )  B  ( _____ , _____ ) C  ( _____ , _____ )
  
 D  ( _____ , _____ )
R  ( _____ , _____ ) R  ( _____ , _____ ) 
R  ( _____ , _____ )

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  
Example: Vector A has magnitude 5, and vector B has magnitude 15. Five students also know the directions
    
of A and B , but you do not. The five students attempt to find the resultant R  A  B . The students’ then

report the magnitude of the resultant vector R :
  
Andy: The magnitude of R is 5. Bernard: The magnitude of R is 10. Cliff: The magnitude of R is 15.
 
Daniel: The magnitude of R is 20. Edward: The magnitude of R is 25.

Indicate which two students cannot possibly be correct. Justify your answer. Draw examples of each
  
student’s A , B , and R vectors in the grid below, treating each square as being 5 wide.


Example: The vector V shown starts with components (40, 30) at time t =
0. Each second, the vertical component decreases by 10.

Indicate when V is the shortest. __________

Indicate V ’s shortest length? ________

Indicate when V is again the same length that it was at time t = 0. __________

Justify whether vector V ever zero.

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  
Example: Let the vectors A = 5 @ 53.13 and B = 5 @ –143.13. Calculate the components of each vector,
and draw each vector on the grids below.
 
Vector A Vector B

Components: (_____, _____) Components: (_____, _____)

  
Calculate the resultant of R  A  2 B by adding the components and draw the vectors on the grid below.

A  5 @ 53.13  ( _____ , _____ )

 2 B  10 @  143.13  ( _____ , _____ )

R  ___ @ ______  ( _____ , _____ )

P1-04-2: Projectile Motion

Indicate the shape of the path that an object travels when it travels as a projectile. (The answer is NOT “arc”).

Indicate how the direction of velocity related to the parabolic path at each point. (Starts with a “T”.)

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Indicate what happens to the horizontal component of velocity as the projectile travels, and justify why.

Indicate what happens to the vertical component of the velocity as the projectile travels, and justify why.

Indicate the point in the parabolic path the vertical component of the velocity is zero, and justify why.

Indicate the point in the parabolic path the speed of the projectile is zero, and justify why.

Indicate the direction of the net force vector at all points in the projectile’s path, and justify why.

Indicate the direction of the acceleration vector at all points in the projectile’s path, and justify why.

A person throws a ball in such a way that its speed is zero at one particular point in its path. Describe how the
person threw the ball?

Indicate the types of motion and the equations for projectile motion in the table below:

Direction Type of Motion Position Equation Velocity Equation Initial Velocity

Horizontal

Vertical

Test Your Understanding: A projectile travels from point A to point G as shown below. Calculate and label
the components of the velocity vector at point A. Then calculate and label the components of velocity at every
other point; use the fact that each point occurs 1 second after the previous point. Also use g = 10 m/s2.

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Projectile Motion Exploratory Activity: The photograph to the right
shows a golf ball traveling as a projectile in front of a tile wall. Each tile
is a square with sides of 0.1 m. The golf ball is illuminated by a strobe
light that flashes once every 0.2 seconds. The lower-left ball represents
the first ball in the sequence, and the lower-left corner of the photograph is
the origin of position. Use the photograph to fill in the tables and graphs
of the ball’s horizontal motion and vertical motion.

t (s) x (m) t (s) vx (m/s) t (s) ax (m/s2)

0.0
}
0.2 }
}
0.4 }
}
0.6 }
}
0.8 }
1.0
}

t (s) y (m) t (s) vy (m/s) t (s) ay (m/s2)

0.0
}
0.2 }
}
0.4 }
}
0.6 }
}
0.8 }
1.0
}

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Example 1: A student throws a ball horizontally off of the roof of the Chase
Bank Building in downtown Dallas, 125 m above the ground. The ball strikes
the ground 100 m away from the base of the building. Calculate how fast the
student threw the ball.

Sketch graphs of each of the following as functions of time:

Important Points To Remember About Horizontal Launch:

The horizontal initial velocity is equal to _________________________.
The vertical initial velocity is equal to __________.
The projectile motion equations simplify to _______________ and _______________.

Example 1½: A ball is shot from an initial height H such that its initial velocity is v and horizontal. Derive an
expression for the horizontal distance D that the ball travels before striking the level ground below in terms of
H, v, and fundamental constants.

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Example 2: Tanner stands on the 30-m line of a
metric football field (numbered 0 to 100 meters) and
kicks a football at an angle of 53 with an initial
velocity of 25 m/s for a kickoff. Calculate:

(a) the time the football is in the air (b) the meter line the ball lands on (c) the highest height the football
reaches

Sketch graphs of each of the following as functions of time:

Important Points To Remember About Ground-To-Ground Launch:

The final vertical velocity is equal to ___________________________________________________________.

Use this to find the time by ___________________________________________________________________.

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Example 2½: A ball is kicked from ground level such that its initial velocity components are v0x and v0y.
Derive expressions for the following in terms of v0x, v0y, and g.

(a) the time T the ball is in the air (b) the horizontal distance D the (c) the highest height H the ball
ball travels before striking the reaches
ground.

(d) It can be shown that the launch angle that maximizes the value of D is 45°. Using your equation in part (b),
justify why angles above and why angles below 45° result in a shorter values of D.

Example 3: The classic “Monkey and Hunter” problem tells the

story of a hunter that points his gun directly at a monkey hanging
from a branch. The monkey notices the hunter when the hunter pulls
the trigger. The instant the bullet emerges from the gun, the monkey
lets go of the branch, thinking that by falling he can dodge the bullet.
Suppose the monkey is located 240 m horizontally and 100 m
vertically above the point where the bullet becomes a projectile, and
the bullet’s launch speed is 65 m/s, as shown in the figure.
Calculate the following.

(a) the components of the bullet’s initial velocity. (c) the bullet’s height above the launch point when it
reaches the horizontal position x = 240 meters.

(b) the time that the bullet reaches the horizontal (d) the monkey’s height above the launch point when
position x = 240 meters. the bullet reaches x = 240 meters.

Sketch graphs of the following as functions of time.

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Example 4: At point O on the roof of a building, a ball is shot from an initial height of 200 m with initial speed
50 m/s at an angle of 37o. The ball passes through point A (the highest point in its path), point B (at the same
height as point O), and then lands on the flat ground at point C. Calculate values in order to fill in the table
below showing the time when the ball reached, horizontal distance the ball has traveled, the vertical height of
the ball, and the components of the ball's velocity at each of the four lettered points. Sketch the six projectile
motion graphs that represent the motion of this ball. In the blank space on this page, describe how you made
calculations to fill in the table.

t [s] x [m] y [m] vx [m/s] vy [m/s]

O 0 0 8
A
B
C

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P1-04-3: Forces in Equilibrium

If a system does not accelerate, then the system obeys Newton’s First Law, which states that all of the forces on
the object balance. Indicate Newton’s First Law in component form using the  sign.

Test Your Understanding:

Each of the cases to the right
shows a box of mass m
suspended from two ropes. The
grid in the background of the
diagram is to help you see the
different angles that the ropes
can make. For each case, draw
and label a free-body diagram
on the dot below each diagram
showing the forces acting on
the box. Let the weight force in
each case be a vector that is 4
squares long.

Example: Both of the spring scales shown read force F. Draw a free-body
diagram showing the forces acting on the block and their components, and
derive an expression for F in terms of m, g, and θ.

It is impossible for the angle θ to become 90o and both ropes to become horizontal. Using your three-case
diagrams above, explain why. Then explain why using your equation for F.

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Test Your Understanding:
Each of the cases to the right
shows a ball of mass m
suspended from two ropes. The
grid in the background of the
diagram is to help you see the
different angles that the ropes
can make. For each case, draw
and label a free-body diagram
on the dot below each diagram
showing the forces acting on
the box. Let the weight force in
each case be a vector that is 2
squares long.

Example: The spring scale labeled A measures a force FA,

and the spring scale labeled B measures force FB. Draw a
free-body diagram showing the forces acting on the block
and their components, and derive expressions for FA and FB
in terms of m, g, and θ.

It is impossible for the angle θ to become 90o and both ropes to become horizontal. Using your three-case
diagrams above, explain why. Then explain why using your equations for FA and FB.

Example: In the diagram below, a sphere is held at rest by a long cord and
a short cord. Indicate which cord (long or short) has greater tension.
Draw a free-body diagram (where the ball's weight is 5 squares) to justify
your answer.

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P1-04-4: Dynamics in 2D

If a system does accelerate, then the acceleration has horizontal and vertical components (ax and ay). Indicate
Newton’s Second Law in component form using the  sign.

Newton’s Laws can be reduced to the following two rules governing forces relative to acceleration.
 Forces that are perpendicular to the ____________________ vector will _________________________.
 Forces that are parallel to the ____________________ vector will _________________________, but if
the force is __________ to ____________________, we count that force as ____________________.
In the following three situations, draw and label the forces acting on the box or ball (assume there is friction in
the first two): Then derive an equation for the forces and force components parallel to the acceleration and an
equation for the forces and force components perpendicular to the acceleration.

Parallel Eqn:____________________ Parallel Eqn:_________________ Parallel Eqn:________________

Perpendicular Eqn:_______________ Perpendicular Eqn:____________ Perpendicular Eqn:___________

Test Your Understanding: A 50 N force is applied to the box at a 37o above

the horizontal as shown. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the box
and plane is 0.4. Draw the other forces acting on the box, and derive two
equations that relate the forces on the box.

Calculate the following.

the normal force acting on the box the friction force acting on the box the acceleration of the box

12
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Now suppose that the box is being pushed with a 50 N force as shown.
Indicate how each of the following quantities will change by filling in the
blanks with their words “greater than”, “less then”, or “the same as” and
justify each answer.

The normal force is now The friction force is now The acceleration is now
____________________ before. ____________________ before. ____________________ before.

Test Your Understanding: Consider the following two situations where a block of mass m is set on an incline
with an angle θ. On each block, draw the forces acting on the block. Then derive expressions for the normal
force and acceleration of the block in terms of m, g, and .

No Friction. Coefficient of Kinetic Friction is .

Normal Force Acceleration Normal Force Acceleration

In the right-hand case, there is a specific relationship between θ and  that causes the box to slide down the
incline with constant velocity. Derive this relationship using your results in that case.

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Example: In each case, draw the forces acting on the given object. Derive equations relating the forces
parallel to acceleration and the forces perpendicular to acceleration. Then derive an expression for the
acceleration of the object.

A force F is applied at an angle θ to the horizontal, The ball is connected to a string that is fixed to the
and the coefficient of static friction is μ. ceiling of a car that accelerates to the right. The string
maintains an angle θ to the vertical.

The triangular cart has the minimum acceleration a The triangular cart has the exact right acceleration so
needed to prevent the block of mass m from sliding that the frictionless cart on the hypotenuse does not
down. The coefficient of static friction is μ. roll up or down the cart.

Example: Calculate the acceleration of these blocks

once the system is released from rest and calculate
the tension in the string. To begin with, draw free-
body diagrams for the two objects. Assume the 12 kg
object accelerates downward.

__________  ____________________  __________

forward F on 12 kg backward F on 12 kg massaccel of 12 kg

__________  ____________________  __________

forward F on 8 kg backward F on 8 kg massaccel of 8 kg

__________  ____________________  __________

forward F on system backward F on system massaccel of system

Show your process for solving for the system acceleration and the tension in the string.

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