Question

At a circus, a clown is being shot out of a cannon. This is a good thing because clowns are terrifying. The cannon’s barrel makes an angle of 35 degrees with the ground and the initial velocity has magnitude 10.4 m/s. The end of the barrel is 1.0 m above the ground. A 1.0 m thick mattress, with sides 2.0 m long, is placed so its closest edge is a horizontal distance of 10.0 m from the end of the cannon’s barrel.

(a) Draw a diagram of the situation described. Label the x and y directions, the cannon, the mattress, the initial velocity vector and the barrel angle.

(b) What are the vertical and horizontal components of the initial velocity vector?

(c) At what time will the clown return to a height of 1.0 m above the ground?

(d) Using your answer from (c), will the clown reach the mattress and escape serious injury??? What would you expect if we included the effects of air resistance? (disclaimer: no matter how terrifying clowns are, I still would not wish one to be seriously hurt)