PhysicsLAB: Kinematics Along With Work/Energy

You should use g = 10 m/sec² in these problems.

Refer to the following information for the next nine questions.

A ball of mass 600 grams is launched horizontally with a velocity of 25 m/sec from the top of a 100-meter cliff.

How much time is required for the ball to strike the ground at the base of the cliff?

How far from the base of the cliff will it strike the ground?

What is the shape of the ball's trajectory?

How fast will the ball be moving vertically just as it strikes the ground?

How fast will the ball be moving horizontally just as it strikes the ground?

At what angle does the ball strike the ground at the base of the cliff?

Use the Pythagorean Theorem to determine the ball's resultant impact velocity.

Recalculate the ball's impact speed using energy methods.

How do your last two answers compare?

How much PE does the ball have at the top of the cliff?

How much KE does the ball have when it is initially released at the top of the cliff?

How much total energy does the ball have at time t = 0 when it is initially released from the top of the cliff?

Fill out the following chart for the ball's potential energy and kinetic energy at each position specified. The potential energy of the ball is considered to be zero at the bottom of the cliff.

distance
fallen

0 meters

20 meters

40 meters

60 meters

80 meters

100 meters

On the axes supplied, sketch and label the following three graphs.

potential energy vs distance fallen,
kinetic energy vs distance fallen, and
total energy vs distance fallen

Describe each graph.

Fill out the following chart for the ball's potential energy and kinetic energy at each time specified. The potential energy of the ball is considered to be zero at the bottom of the cliff.

time

distance
fallen

0 seconds

1 second

2 seconds

3 seconds

4 seconds

just at impact

On the axes supplied, sketch and label the following three graphs.

potential energy vs time in air
kinetic energy vs time in air
total energy vs time in air

Describe each graph.