[Math] the optimal angle when throwing a stone on a slope

calculusoptimizationphysicstrigonometry

The question what-is-the-optimum-angle-of-projection-when-throwing-a-stone-off-a-cliff was asked and answered a while back. This one has a much cleaner answer. Now you are on a uniform slope, a line through the origin that is not horizontal and you want to throw a stone as far as possible. As a function of the angle of the slope, what angle should you throw at? Usual assumptions: uniform gravity, no friction.

Best Answer

I am surprised no one seems to have answered this.

I get $$\pi/4 + \alpha/2$$.

If the line is given by $y = x \tan \alpha$, with $\alpha$ acute and we throw from the origin at an angle $\theta$ from the x-axis, at velocity $1$, then we have that the projectile satisfies, assuming gravity $g=2$ (in appropriate units)

$\displaystyle y = t\sin\theta - t^2$, $\displaystyle x = t\cos \theta$

The time at which it intersects the line again is given by

$\displaystyle t\sin\theta - t^2 = t \tan\alpha \cos \theta$ and so

$\displaystyle t = \sin \theta - \tan \alpha \cos \theta$

It is enough to maximize the horizontal distance travelled by the projectile, which is given by

$\displaystyle \cos \theta (\sin \theta - \tan \alpha \cos \theta)$

With little manipulation, we need to maximize

$\displaystyle \sin(2\theta - \alpha)$

which gives the result.

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