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Free fall with initial velocity


Next, Walter Lewin shoots the golf ball while his device makes an angle θ with the horizontal.
For that case one has

v0x = v0 cos(θ)     and     v0y = v0 sin(θ)

Walter Lewin wants to predict at which distance d from his shooting device the golf ball hits the ground. This can be done with

y(t) = v0yt - gt2/2 = t ( v0y - gt/2 ) = t ( v0 sin(θ) - gt/2 )

That expression equals zero (when the ball is at the ground) for

t1 = 0     and for     t2 = 2v0 sin(θ) / g

The former solution, t1, agrees with the instant that the ball is launched, the latter, t2, with the instant that the ball returns to the ground.






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