Module-8: Motion in Two and Three Dimension

Projectile is a body thrown with an initial velocity in the vertical plane and then it moves in two dimensions
under the action of gravity alone without being propelled by any engine or fuel. Its motion is called projectile
motion.The path of a projectile is called its trajectory.

Gravity, being a downward force, causes a projectile to accelerate in the downward direction. The force of
gravity could never alter the horizontal velocity of an object since perpendicular components of motion are
independent of each other. A vertical force does not effect a horizontal motion. The result of a vertical force
acting upon a horizontally moving object is to cause the object to deviate from its otherwise linear path. This
is depicted in the animation below

Examples:
1. A packet released from an airplane in flight.
2. A golf ball in flight.
3. A bullet fired from a rifle.
4. A jet of water from a hole near the bottom of a water tank.

Projectile motion is a case of two-dimensional motion .Any case of two dimensional motion can be resolved
into two cases of one dimensional motion -one along the x-axis and the other along the y-axis.The two cases
can be studied separately as two cases of one dimensional motion.The results from two cases can be
combined using vector algebra to see the net result

A body can be projected in two ways :

1. Horizontal projection-When the body is given an initial velocity in the horizontal direction only.
2. Angular projection-When the body is thrown with an initial velocity at an angle to the horizontal
direction.
We will study the two cases separately. We will neglect the effect of air resistance. We will take x-axis along
the horizontal direction and y-axis along the vertical direction.

Case 1: Horizontlal Projection

A body is thrown with an initial velocity u along the horizontal

direction.We will study the motion along x and y axis
separately.We will take the starting point to be at the origin.

Case 2: Angular Projection

We will now consider the case when the object is

projected with an initial velocity u at an angle to the
horizontal direction.

We assume that there is no air resistance .Also since

the body first goes up and then comes down after
reaching the highest point , we will use the Cartesian

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convention for signs of different physical quantities.The acceleration due to gravity 'g' will be negative as
it acts downwards.

We will separate the motion into horizontal motion (motion along x-axis) and vertical motion (motion along y-
axis) .We will study x-motion and y-motion separately.

Given the original conditions with which the projectile is thrown we will proceed to find the components of the
original velocity and then move on to answer the following questions:

 Path (trajectory) of the Projectile

 How much time passes till the projectile is at the top of its flight?
 How high does the projectile rise?
 How much time passes till the projectile strikes the ground?
 How far away does the projectile land from its starting point?

Original, or initial, conditions:

The original conditions are the size of the velocity and the angle above the
horizontal with which the projectile is thrown.
Original velocity V0
Original size of velocity : vo

Original angle : 

y velocityV0y = V0sin
X component of original velocity : vox = vo cos ()

Y component of original velocity : voy = vo sin ()

x velocity V0x = V0cos

Path (trajectory) of the Projectile:

The initial velocity of the projectile Vo at t = 0 makes an angle  with the positive x direction. The x and y
component of Vo is given by
vox = vocos() and voy = vosin() (1)

Because there is no horizontal component of acceleration and vertical component of velocity after any
arbitrary time t is given by

vx = vocos() and vy = vosin() +at (2)

y
After time t
The magnitude of the resultant velocity vector, vy v
v v 2
x  v y2  (3)

voy vx
The angle  that the velocity vector makes with the horizontal at
that instant is given by, vo
vy
t=0
tan  (4)  vox
vx x
The displacement along x and y axis at any time t is given as Fig: The path of a projectile
x = vocos()t (5)
2
 1 2
and y = vosin()t + ayt (6)
2

x
From equation (5), t 
v o cos 
Substituting the value of t in equation (6) we get,

x 1 x2
Therefore y  v o sin   ay 2
v o cos  2 v o cos 2 
1 1
 y  (tan )x  ( a y 2 )x 2 (7)
2 v o cos 
2

This is the equation of the projectile. Since , vo and ay = -g are constant, this equation has the form, y = ax +
bx2, the equation of a parabola. Hence the trajectory of a projectile is a parabola.

How much time passes until the projectile is at the top of its trajectory?

At the top of the trajectory the y, or upward, velocity of the projectile will be 0.0 m/s. The object is still moving
at this moment, but its velocity is purely horizontal. At the top it is not moving up or down, only across.

Notice that the object is still in motion at the top of the trajectory; however, its velocity is completely
horizontal. It has stopped going up and is about to begin going down. Therefore, its y velocity is 0.0 m/s.
We need to find out how much time passes from the time of the throw until the time when the y velocity of the
projectile becomes 0.0 m/s. We will call this amount of time 'the half time of flight', since the projectile will
spend one half of its time of flight rising to the top of its trajectory. It will spend the second half of its time of
flight moving downward.

We can use the following kinematics equation:

Vf  V0  at
y velocity = 0.0 m/s
Subscript it for y:

Vfy  V0 y  ay t

Solve it for t:

Vfy  V0 y
t
ay

Plug in 0.0 m/s for Vfy :

0.0m / s  V0 y
t (8)
ay

If the original y velocity and the y acceleration, i. e., the acceleration due to gravity, are plugged into the
above equation, it will solve for the amount of time that passes from the moment of release to the moment
when the projectile is at the top of its flight.

We know, voy = vosin and ay = - g

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  V 0 sin  V 0 sin 
Then the time at which the vy is zero t =  (9)
g g

How high does the projectile rise?

Here you need to find the displacement in the y direction at the time
when the projectile is at the top of its flight. We have just found the time
at which the projectile is at the top of its flight.

Here is the displacement formula:

1 2 y displacement
d  V0t  at when at top
2
We must think of this displacement in the y direction, so we will subscript
this formula for y:
1
d y  V0 y t  ay t 2 (10)
2
If now we plug in the half time of flight, which was found above, we will solve for the height of the trajectory,
since the projectile is at its maximum height at this time.

0.0m / s  V0 y  V0 y
voy = vosin, ay = -g, t =
ay g

2
V0 y 1  V0 y 
Then d y  V 0 y  ( g ) 

g 2  g 

1 2 1 2
dy  V oy  Voy
g 2g
2  1 1 
Or  Voy   
 g 2 g 
2 1
 Voy
2g

1 2
dy  v o sin 2  (11)
2g

How much time passes until the projectile strikes the ground?

With no air resistance, the projectile will spend an equal amount of time rising to the top of its projectile as it
spends falling from the top to the ground. Since we have already found the half time of flight, we need only to
double that value to get the total time of flight.

Total time T = 2t

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 V 0 sin  V 0 sin 
We know t  , Then the total time T  2 (12)
g g

How far away does the projectile land from its starting point?

The distance from the starting point on the ground to the landing point on the ground is called the range of
the trajectory. This range is a displacement in the x direction. It is
governed by the x velocity of the projectile. This x velocity does not
change during the flight of the projectile. The x velocity remains
constant because there are no accelerations in the x direction. The
only acceleration is in the y direction, and this is due to the vertical
pull of gravity. Gravity does not pull horizontally. Therefore, the
calculation for the range is simplified.

Let us start with the general displacement formula:

1 2
d  V0t  at
2
Range
Since we are working in the x direction, we should subscript this
equation for x:

1
d x  V0 x t  ax t 2
2
Now, since the acceleration in the x direction is 0.0 m/s2, the second term in the above equation drops out,
and we are left with:

d x  V0 x t

The velocity in the x direction does not change. The projectile maintains its original x velocity throughout its
entire flight. So, the original x velocity is the only x velocity the projectile will have. We could, therefore, think
of the last equation as:

d x  Vx t (13)

If we plug in the original x velocity for vx and the total time of flight for t, we will solve for the horizontal
displacement, or range, of the trajectory.
 V0 y  v o sin 
Put vx = vocos() t2 2
ay g
2v o sin  v o2
Then, dx = vo cos  = 2 sin cos 
g g
v o2
Range dx = R = sin 2 (14)
g

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When a projectile is projected some height h above the ground:

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