Physics problem help

[scota]

Hello. I haven't taken physics yet, but I must solve this problem. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

A basketball is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 4.30 m/s (Figure 4-19). A straight line drawn from the release point to the landing point makes an angle = 31.0? with the horizontal. What was the release height?

Answer is in meters.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[scota]

Nevermind, I figured it out.

 

[iamgoaloriented]

Hello. I haven't taken physics yet, but I must solve this problem. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me!

A basketball is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 4.30 m/s (Figure 4-19). A straight line drawn from the release point to the landing point makes an angle = 31.0? with the horizontal. What was the release height?

Answer is in meters.

Wow. I must have responded just when you sent the second post.

Did you do it the way I would have went about it?

It would be easiest if to find h (height) if you knew d (horizontal distance traveled). You could use trigonometry

It would be easiest to find d if you knew t (time in air) since you are given the horizontal velocity.

One of the equations of kinematics involves the two unknows h and t (you know the acceleration due to gravity and the initial vertical velocity).

Three unkowns, three equations, do the math.

 

[scota]

I solved it by calculating for tan 31 degrees X 4.30. I divided that number by 4.905. Duh!

 

[iamgoaloriented]

I solved it by calculating for tan 31 degrees X 4.30. I divided that number by 4.905. Duh!

I thought it was (Tan 31 x 4.3)^2 divided by 4.9.

Or have I been out of school for too long? No, my dimensional analysis comes out right.

Wow must I be bored if I am doing physics for no reason.