Paintball guns were originally developed to mark trees for logging. A forester aims his gun directly at a knothole in a tree that is 4.0 m above the gun. The base of the tree is 20 m away. The speed of the paintball as it leaves the gun is 50 m/s. How far below the knothole does the paintball strike the tree?

Question

I need some direction on this one because I do not understand how it wont hit the hole. And maybe a quick how-to with some formulas

Answer 1

he aims directly at the hole , but gravity causes the projectile to drop

the horizontal velocity (V) of the projectile is ... 50 m/s * [20 / √(20^2 + 4^2)]

the time of flight (T) is ... 20 m / V

the drop of the projectile is ... 1/2 g T^2
... g is gravitational acceleration ... 9.81 m/s^2

Answer 2

Thanks you legend