Projectile Motion

Here is a video lesson that's a little more involved, on Projectile Motion. This topic falls under the "dynamics" heading, although I was introduced to the subject in freshman physics. Specifically this is the branch of dynamics called kinematics, which uses Newton's laws to model the motion of an object without paying attention to the cause of that motion (force, etc.). In this case we're talking about a projectile in motion. It could be a kicked soccer ball, a clown shot out of a cannon, whatever.

The FE Supplied Reference Manual gives us a series of equations with parameters such as time, initial velocity, position, and gravity (we typically assume 9.8 m/s^2 on Earth). The problem statement on the exam will give us a few of these parameters and ask us to find some others. We have to go to our "toolbox" of kinematic equations and pick out the ones necessary to answer the question, using the information given and -- this is where it gets tricky -- what can be implied about the situation. In my opinion, this is one of the easier concepts in dynamics to grasp. However, based upon what I've seen, I would anticipate a multi-part question (that is, two or three individual questions based on one set of given information) so knowing how to manipulate these equations and understanding the principles can bring you a few points closer to passing. It's also a little bit time-consuming so I suggest using the video to brush up and practice cranking these out efficiently.