Hi! I'm not sure how I should be approaching this question and I'm getting 71º or 6º as my answer. Could someone please help me? Thank you
Hey! There's a few ways - I think the easiest would be to substitute the x-equations into the y-equations to get the Cartesian equation of the projectile:
This substitution is very standard for projectile questions - Make it a priority to understand it and be able to perform it VERY quickly!
from here, we use the identity \(\sec^2{\theta}=1+\tan^2{\theta}\), and substitute \(x=35,y=1\) to hit our target:
This is a quadratic equation for \(\tan{\theta}\) - From here, rearrange and solve using the formula, you'll get
two allowable values of your launch angle. Choose the one that is less than 45 degrees, such that the assumption that air resistance is minimal can hold
This is just the main bits of the process, happy to go into more detail if you need it!