What Speed Is Needed for a Basketball to Reach the Hoop?

[agargento]

Homework Statement

A basketball player throws the ball at a 60° angle above the horizontal to a hoop which is located a horizontal distance L = 2.8 m from the point of release and at a height h = 0.4 m above it. What is the required speed if the basketball is to reach the hoop?

Homework Equations

I used V=V₀+at and r(t)=r₀+v₀t+0.5a²
and V_{0 x/y}=V₀sin(θ)

The Attempt at a Solution

My attempt: http://i.imgur.com/0vdqdvl.jpg

Got a wrong answer. Would love some guidance. Thanks.

 

[BvU]

**Third question** You write $0.4 = ... (5.6 V_0 )^2$ instead of $0.4 = ... ({5.6 \over V_0}) ^2$

A quick check on the dimensions of the last term would have shown that it's not length like the other two.

General advice is to work with symbols and only substitute values at the very last.

 

[agargento]

**Third question** You write $0.4 = ... (5.6 V_0 )^2$ instead of $0.4 = ... ({5.6 \over V_0}) ^2$

A quick check on the dimensions of the last term would have shown that it's not length like the other two.

General advice is to work with symbols and only substitute values at the very last.

Thank you so much! Got the right answer, and definitely will use your advice in the future.