Proj Motion EX 6
Helena Dedic
The path of a projectile is given below. Sketch the position, velocity and acceleration vectors for the projectile in the position shown and write the components of acceleration.
Solution:
The position vector is the vector that points from the origin of the coordinate system to the point where the particle is located. See the diagram below.
Note that the drawing seems to indicate that the particle moves from the origin (initial position) to the point indicated in the diagram. Consequently, the position and total displacement vectors are equal.
Velocity is tangent to the path and points in the direction of motion. At the given instant the projectile is still rising so velocity lies above the horizontal axis. On the other hand, acceleration always points downward so the components of acceleration, in the chosen coordinate system, are
