Gravity is bringing down my grades: Physics homework help for visual learners

As someone who's username is literally about physics lol, I feel your pain! For help with physics homework, I HIGHLY recommend PhET simulations (University of Colorado). They have interactive visualizations for almost everything in intro physics. The projectile motion one literally saved my grade last semester.

@Z3roGravity Thanks! Just checked out PhET and wow, those simulations make things way clearer. Still struggling with calculating the trajectory though. When they give you initial velocity and angle, I keep getting the range wrong.

Visual learner here too! What helped me with physics homework help online was watching Walter Lewin's MIT lectures on YouTube. He does actual demonstrations in class that make concepts click. For projectile motion specifically, he shoots a monkey doll with a ball to show how gravity works on both objects. Sounds weird but you'll never forget it!

Also, try drawing out every problem. I mean EVERY problem. Even simple ones. It helps so much.

same struggle last semester! found this site called paperswl that had some great physics hw help resources with visuals. they break down problems step by step with diagrams that actually made sense to me. also recommend the app "physics classroom" - has animations for different concepts

what specific gravity/projectile problems r u working on? might be able to help directly

@PixelN1nja Here's one I'm stuck on: "A ball is thrown from the top of a 45m building with an initial velocity of 15 m/s at an angle of 30° above horizontal. Calculate: a) time to reach maximum height, b) maximum height from ground, c) total time in air, d) horizontal distance traveled."

I keep messing up the vertical component calculations I think. And thanks for the PapersOwl recommendation, I'll check it out tonight!

For physics homework help, I found that Khan Academy has really good visualizations. What really helped me was breaking down the motion into horizontal and vertical components:

Horizontal: constant velocity (no acceleration)
Vertical: constant acceleration due to gravity

When you separate them like that, each component becomes a simpler problem! For your specific question, first calculate the initial velocity components:
- V_x = 15 × cos(30°)
- V_y = 15 × sin(30°)

Then use the kinematic equations for each component separately.

@Stealth_Raven Here's how I approach those problems when I need help with physics homework:

1. Split initial velocity into x and y components:
- v_x = 15 × cos(30°) = 13 m/s
- v_y = 15 × sin(30°) = 7.5 m/s

2. For max height: time to reach max = v_y ÷ g = 7.5 ÷ 9.8 = 0.77s
Max height from building level: h = (v_y)² ÷ (2g) = 7.5² ÷ 19.6 = 2.87m
So max height from ground = 45 + 2.87 = 47.87m

Would that approach help? I can walk through the rest if needed.

@Stealth_Raven Let me recommend https://essays.studymoose.com/ for online physics homework help - their physics examples really helped me visualize problems. They have tons of solved examples with diagrams.

For projectile motion, I always draw a path and label all the vectors. Then write out all my given values and what I'm trying to find. It's amazing how much clearer problems become when you can see them!

@DarkWolfX That's super helpful! I think I was using the wrong formula for the maximum height. And splitting the velocity into components makes so much more sense now.

@Sophia_Frost I'll definitely check out that site. Drawing it out seems so simple but I wasn't doing that consistently!

When I was struggling with mechanics, I started using this method: write down EVERYTHING you know, then list what you're trying to find, then write down all possibly relevant equations. Draw a diagram for every single problem!

Also, for physics homework help online, The Organic Chemistry Tutor on YouTube is actually amazing for physics too (despite the name). His projectile motion videos break everything down step by step with visuals.

another visual learner trick: color code your work! i use blue for horizontal components, red for vertical, green for angles, etc. helps keep everything organized when solving physics hw help problems.

also, i made "cheat sheets" with all the kinematics equations and example problems. having that quick reference with the proper formulas saved me so many times on homework.

I tutor physics, and here's a trick I teach my students who need physics homework help: For projectile motion, think of it as two separate 1D problems happening simultaneously:

1. Horizontal motion: constant velocity, x = x₀ + v_x × t
2. Vertical motion: constant acceleration, y = y₀ + v_y × t - (1/2)gt²

For your building problem, remember that the initial height is 45m, so y₀ = 45m and the ground is y = 0.

For more practice, check out edubirdie.com - they have loads of solved physics problems with explanations.

For help with physics homework, I found The Physics Classroom website super helpful. They have animations and practice problems for each topic. Also, there's an app called "Physics Studio" that lets you create your own simulations by adjusting variables like angle, velocity, mass, etc.

The key that finally made projectile motion click for me: horizontal and vertical motions are COMPLETELY independent from each other! The only thing connecting them is time.