Energy-Based Solution for the Speed of a Ball Moving Vertically with Drag

Abstract

Determining the speed of a ball as a function of its height after it is launched straight upward in the absence of fluid resistance is a standard problem treated at all levels of introductory physics. Inclusion of drag in the problem is seldom covered even in the introductory course for majors. But, in fact, this problem can be solved via a straightforward application of the work-energy theorem for either linear or quadratic drag, and instructively plotted on graphs of kinetic versus potential energy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 17, 2006
Accession Number
ADA574899

Entities

People

  • Carl E. Mungan

Organizations

  • United States Naval Academy

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Resistance
  • Electronic Mail
  • Energy
  • Equations
  • Experimental Data
  • Information Operations
  • Kinetic Energy
  • Mechanical Energy
  • Physics
  • Potential Energy
  • Resistance
  • Reynolds Number
  • Terminals
  • Three Dimensional
  • United States Naval Academy

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Theoretical Analysis.
  • Tribology (the study of the boundary interaction between sliding surfaces, lubrication, wear and friction).