Matt ODonnell

Lab 2: Analysis of Two Dimensional Motion

Introduction:
This experiment was conducted to analyze the two-dimensional motion of a ball that
was thrown from one end of a premeasured area to another, following a parabolic
trajectory. The time and position data was collected with a software program and
plotted to compare the motion of the ball with the motion predicted by the
kinematic equations. This allowed the calculation of the constants of the kinematic
equations, including acceleration in the y-direction (or g, to which our gravitational
values were compared) as well as acceleration in the x direction, initial velocities in
x and y directions which were then used to calculate the initial velocity of the ball
by the addition of the x and y velocity vector components.

Procedure:
The instructor recorded a video of a student throwing a ball to another student in
front of a premeasured screen.
We then imported this video into the software program Tracker and we calibrated
the area of the screen in the video in accordance with its premeasured area. We
then used the program to mark the position of the ball as the video advanced,
tracking the position of the ball relative to time elapsed. We then used Tracker to
get both the y-coordinate (vertical position) and x-coordinate (horizontal position)
for each of these marker placements, along with the calculation of the velocities (vy
and vx) and accelerations (ay, gravitational acceleration and ax, acceleration likely
due to air resistance). We copy and pasted this data table into Microsoft Excel.
In Excel, we created scatterplots from this data of the thrown balls x and y positions
vs. time and x and y velocities vs. time, set a quadratic trendline and linear
trendline to the respective plots, and used these equations to infer the acceleration
and velocity constants (both for the x and y components) for the kinematic
equations. We calculated the average acceleration using all of the acceleration (ay
or g) values in the table and compared this and the other acceleration values to the
actual constant, g by calculating the percent difference between the actual g (9.8
m/s^2) and our calculated values. We also made scatterplots of the dropped balls
vy vs. t and vx vs. t. From these plots and their equations we inferred the constants
of the kinematic equations and used these constant values to calculate the initial
velocity vectors (the thrown balls) magnitude and direction. All of these plots and
calculations are below.

Data and Calculations:

Figure 1. Time, x and y positions, x- and y-directional velocities, and x- and y-directional velocities of
thrown ball; average x and y accelerations in bold.

Y pos. vs. Time

1.60E+00
1.40E+00
1.20E+00

f(x) = - 5.57x^2 + 4.7x + 0.39

1.00E+00

Y position (m)

8.00E-01

Polynomial ()

6.00E-01
4.00E-01
2.00E-01
0.00E+00
0.00E+00

5.00E-01

1.00E+00

Time (s)

y0 = .3885 m ; this indicates that the ball was initially thrown from a height (y
position) of .3885 meters
v0y = 4.7042 m/s ; this indicates that the ball was thrown with an initial velocity of
~4.7 m/s
ay = -11.14 m/s^2 ; this indicates that the acceleration of the ball in the y direction
was ~11.1 m/s^2. This acceleration is due to gravity and so is close to the actual
value of g, the acceleration in the y direction due to gravity.

Velocity (y) vs Time

5.00E+00
4.00E+00
3.00E+00

f(x) = - 11.09x + 4.7

2.00E+00

Velocity, y direction (m/s)

1.00E+00
0.00E+00

Linear ()

-1.00E+00
-2.00E+00
-3.00E+00
-4.00E+00

Time (s)

v0y = 4.6998 m/s ; indicates that the initial velocity of the ball (the velocity as it left
the throwers hand) in the y direction (vertically) was ~4.7 m/s upward.

ay = -11.1 m/s ; indicates that the acceleration of the ball vertically was ~-11.09
m/s^2 downward (this is due to gravity, which is why it is close to the g constant,
-9.8 m/s^2)

Vertical acceleration (ay or g):

ay obtained by plotting y position vs. time: -11.14 m/s^2
% error = ((11.14 m/s^2 9.8 m/s^2)/9.8 m/s^2) * 100% = 13.7%
ay obtained by plotting vertical (y) velocity with respect to time: -11.09 m/s^2
% error = ((11.09 m/s^2 -9.8 m/s^2)/9.8 m/s^2) *100% = 13.2%
ay obtained by averaging all ay values measured over the 30 frames: -10.61 m/s^2
% error = ((10.61 m/s^2 9.8 m/s^2)/9.8 m/s^2) *100% = 8.27%
Based on the above calculations of % error, the measurement of y-directional
acceleration which was most accurate was the average of all of the tabulated ay
values, g = -10.61.

X pos. vs. Time

3.50E+00
3.00E+00

f(x) = 0.1x^2 - 3.84x + 3.3

2.50E+00
2.00E+00

Horizontal (X) position (m)

Polynomial ()

1.50E+00
1.00E+00
5.00E-01
0.00E+00

Time (s)

x0 = 3.3019 m; This indicates that the ball was thrown from a horizontal position of
~3.30 meters from the origin x=0 of the selected area of the board (and it moved
negatively terminating in the catch at ~0, or ~.25 m from the origins x position.
v0x = -3.8353 m/s; This indicates that the ball was thrown with an x-directional
(horizontal) velocity of -3.84 m/s; its negativity indicates my choice of x=0 for the

horizontal origin at the side of the board area where the ball was caught, so the ball
when thrown moved with a negative velocity toward the horizontal origin.
ax = .2058 m/s^2; This indicates that the ball was accelerated at a rate of .206
m/s^2 once thrown; the positivity of its sign indicates that the balls movement
actually slowed modestly (likely due to some minor air resistance) because the x
values decrease (become more negative) as the ball moves forward due to my
choice of origin, so the acceleration decreases the forward movement at this rate.

Velocity (X direction, horizontal) vs. Time

0.00E+00
-5.00E-01
-1.00E+00
-1.50E+00

Velocity, horizontal (m/s)

-2.00E+00
Linear ()

-2.50E+00
-3.00E+00
-3.50E+00
-4.00E+00

f(x) = 0.31x - 3.87

-4.50E+00

Time (s)

v0x = -3.8664 m/s ; This indicates that the ball left the throwers hand with an initial
velocity of ~-3.87 m/s. The movement is negative in the x-direction due to the
choice of origin discussed above.
ax = .3096 m/s^2; This indicates that the ball had a modest horizontal (xdirectional) acceleration likely due to air resistance, this numbers positivity
indicates a deceleration as it moved to the recipients hand due to the x origin
choice discussed above.

Balls initial velocity calculated from x and y velocity components:

v0x = -3.8664 m/s ; v0y = 4.6998 m/s
v0 = sqrt[(-3.8664^2 + 4.6998^2)] = 37.04 m/s magnitude
tan(theta) = (4.6998/-3.8664) = -1.2155
arctan(-1.2155*) = -50.56* direction The magnitude is negative due to the
negative x-directional movement toward the origin once thrown, discussed
previously. This initial velocity vector indicates that the balls initial velocity was

horizontally toward the x origin (ball recipient) and at a 50.56 degree angle with the
x axis.
Conclusion:
This experiment was conducted to analyze the two-dimensional motion (including
velocity and acceleration for both x and y components over time) of a thrown ball
following a parabolic trajectory. The acceleration constant of gravity (g) was
calculated by the motion of the thrown ball, and the most accurate calculated value,
--10.61 m/s^2, was obtained by calculating the average of all ay values in Excel.
This value has a 8.27% difference from the known value of g, 9.8 m/s^2. The initial
velocity of the thrown ball which we calculated by analyzing the magnitude of the x
and y components of the velocity vector (calculations above) was 37.04 m/s in a
-50.56* direction.