When baseball players throw the ball from the outfield, they usually allow it to take one bounce
before it reaches the infield because they think that the ball will arrive sooner that way. Suppose that the angle at
which a bounced ball leaves the ground is the same as the angle at which it is thrown but the ball’s speed after the
bounce is one-half of what it was just before the bounce. (a) the ball is always thrown with the same
initial speed. At what angle θ should the fielder throw the ball to make it go the same distance D with one bounce
as a ball thrown upward at 45◦ with no bounce

Question

When baseball players throw the ball from the outfield, they usually allow it to take one bounce
before it reaches the infield because they think that the ball will arrive sooner that way. Suppose that the angle at
which a bounced ball leaves the ground is the same as the angle at which it is thrown but the ball’s speed after the
bounce is one-half of what it was just before the bounce. (a) the ball is always thrown with the same
initial speed. At what angle θ should the fielder throw the ball to make it go the same distance D with one bounce
as a ball thrown upward at 45◦ with no bounce

anonymous · Answer

I tried solving for y max and equating the equations but I keep getting the wrong answer. the correct answer is 26.6 degrees