What is projectile motion?
Answer
Projectile motion is the two-dimensional motion of a body thrown into the air that moves under gravity alone, following a parabolic path.
The working
Definition
A projectile is any object given an initial velocity and then allowed to move only under the influence of gravity (neglecting air resistance).
Independent components
The horizontal motion has constant velocity, while the vertical motion is uniformly accelerated by g. These two motions are independent of each other.
Parabolic path
Combining constant horizontal velocity with accelerated vertical motion gives a curved, parabolic trajectory.
Key results
For a launch at angle θ with speed u: time of flight = 2u sinθ/g, maximum height = u² sin²θ/2g, and range = u² sin2θ/g.
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