Why Does My Projectile Motion Calculation Keep Failing?

In summary, the stone is displaced horizontally and vertically at the catapult site by 19.6 meters and 36.33 meters at time t=1.11 and 1.77 seconds, respectively.
  • #1
TS656577
62
0
[SOLVED] I'm stuck with college physics

My college professor decided he didn't want to teach this chapter on Motion in 2D and 3D so he left us to teach ourselves. My first question is this
A stone is catapulted at time t = 0, with an initial velocity of magnitude 19.6 m/s and at an angle of 37.2° above the horizontal. What are the magnitudes of the (a) horizontal and (b) vertical components of its displacement from the catapult site at t = 1.11 s? Repeat for the (c) horizontal and (d) vertical components at t = 1.77 s.
I got A and C and to find B and D, i thought I would use the equation y=vsin(x)t - (-4.9 t^2). I got 19.191 for B and 36.33 for D but both are wrong. (this homework is online) Am I missing something? Thanks
 
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  • #2
Welcome to the forums,

I haven't worked through your problem, but have you attempted rounding your answers to 3sf?

Also, homework questions should be posted in the Homework forums.
 
  • #3
Well, I did try rounding, but SF doesn't matter for this online program, and sorry, I didn't know there was a homework section
 
  • #4

Homework Statement


My college professor decided he didn't want to teach this chapter on Motion in 2D and 3D so he left us to teach ourselves. My first question is this
A stone is catapulted at time t = 0, with an initial velocity of magnitude 19.6 m/s and at an angle of 37.2° above the horizontal. What are the magnitudes of the (a) horizontal and (b) vertical components of its displacement from the catapult site at t = 1.11 s? Repeat for the (c) horizontal and (d) vertical components at t = 1.77 s.


The Attempt at a Solution


I got A and C and to find B and D, i thought I would use the equation y=vsin(x)t - (-4.9 t^2). I got 19.191 for B and 36.33 for D but both are wrong. (this homework is online) Am I missing something? Thanks
 
  • #5
TS656577 said:
y=vsin(x)t - (-4.9 t^2).

The equation should be;

[tex]y = u\sin\theta t + \frac{1}{2}at^2[/tex]

Where u is your initial velocity and a=-g=-9.81 m/s/s.
 
Last edited:

Related to Why Does My Projectile Motion Calculation Keep Failing?

1. What are some tips for understanding college physics?

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Some common mistakes in college physics include not reading the problems carefully, ignoring units, and not showing all your work. It's also important to not rely too heavily on memorization and instead focus on understanding the underlying concepts.

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