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ENSC2004 - Lecture 10
Projectile Motion - Slides

Motion of a Projectile

  • Projectile motion can be treated as two rectilinear motions
    • One in horizontal direction with zero acceleration
    • One in vertical direction experiencing constant acceleration


Curvilinear Motion 2 - Slides

Normal and Tangential Components

  • When a particle moves along a curved path, it is convenient to describe its motion using normal () and tangential () coordinates
    • The origin () is located on the particle, thus it alongside the coordinate system moves with the particle

centre

  • The centre of curvature () lies on the concave side of the curve
    • The -axis has positive direction towards
  • The radius of curvature () is perpendicular distance from curve to

The position of the particle at any instant is defined by

  • is the distance along the curve from a fixed reference point

Parameters in the n-t Coordinate System

  • Velocity is tangent to path of motion:
    where
    • defines magnitude and defines direction
  • Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity:
    where represents change in magnitude of velocity and represents rate of change in direction of

Alternatively:

→ tangential acceleration:
i.e. is equal to the rate in change of speed

→ normal (centripetal) acceleration:
is the radius of curvature

Special Cases of Motion

  1. Particle moves along a straight line
  2. Particle moves with constant speed along curve
  3. is constant


  4. Particle moves along path

Three-Dimensional Motion

  • Binomial axis () is used when working in 3D space
    • It is perpendicular to the osculating plane
      Thus, is defined by cross product


No motion, thus no velocity or acceleration, in the binomial direction


ENSC2004 - Lecture 12