- #1
ngustilo
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Homework Statement
A projectile is launched from a mountain at a given angle and velocity (which is large). Using polar coordinates find the position of the particle at time t. I'm ignoring drag (for now).
Homework Equations
I tried using the polar kinematic equations: http://mathenthusiast.com/physics/mechanics/kinematic-equations-in-polar-coordinates/
The Attempt at a Solution
I have a python program that uses a numerical Euler method to find the path of the projectile. I want to use the polar kinematic equations to ensure I did things correctly and to see the discrepancy between numerical and kinematic answers. I first tried using cartesian coordinates, but ran into issues with splitting the gravitational force into x and y components. The velocity is high enough that I can't treat gravity as acting only in the y direction.
Unfortunately, the answers I get are quite different. When using the polar kinematic equations, my velocity in the theta unit vector direction is increasing over time (enough so that my total velocity increases as well). Can someone show me what the equations of motion should look like in polar coordinates?
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