We often think about two-dimensional motion in terms of aprojectile, like someone throwing a ball up in the air. Consider,instead, the surface of an air-hockey table, where the puck travelshorizontally from one end of the table to the other. Imagine you’restanding at one end of the table and answer the following questionsin your initial post to the discussion.
1. Describe the shape of the puck’s path, starting from the endof the table where you’re standing, as it undergoes the followingtypes of motion:
a. acceleration in the x-direction
b. acceleration in the y-direction
c. constant velocity in the x-direction with acceleration in thenegative y-direction
2. What must be true of x-velocity and y-velocity for the puckto travel at a 45-degree angle?
3. How can you make the angle steeper or shallower?
4. Can the puck follow a straight path if it’s accelerating inone or both directions? Choose your own orientation for thecoordinate system.
