Projectile Motion – Motion in 2 or 3 dimensions
(Motion with two or three independent components)
Definition
Projectile: an object (in motion) acted upon only by the force of gravity.
An object/body launched into the air/atmosphere and allowed to move freely (under gravity)
Note
(1) The projectile is in 2 or 3 dimensions that is in a plane or space.
(2) The only force acting on a body undergoing a projectile motion is gravity. (Implying air
resistance must be negligible)
Real life applications of projectile
[A] Warfare – (shot) arrows, (fired) bullet, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), (thrown) spear, and
(launched) intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) (artillery)
[B] Sports – (thrown) Javelin, shot put, football, high jump(er), pole vaulting.
[C] Others – Fireworks, water fountains, sparks from welding metals.
Trajectory of a projectile
The trajectory (path of motion) of a projectile is either a parabola or portion of it.
An archer shoots an arrow at a target. The diagram shows the path of the arrow.
Note - In projectile motion
1. We need to consider vertical & horizontal components of motion & they are independent
2. The acceleration involved is always g (downwards) & only affects the vertical component
3. Any horizontal velocity is constant and unaffected by g
4. The vertical component of the acceleration is equal to the free fall acceleration g.
5. We’ll consider up as positive and down as negative
1
Motion of falling objects given a horizontal projection
Vector diagram
Key characteristic of projectile motion is that the perpendicular components of the motion are
independent of each other.
Generally, any projectile in flight in x-y plane is doing two things at once:
1. It is flying horizontally with a constant speed and
2. It is moving up (or down) with an acceleration g (or –g)
Once we recognize this, solutions of projectile problems are easy. We simply split each problem into two
problems. One involves horizontal motion at constant velocity, the other is exactly the same as the free-
fall motion.
Equations for projectile motion
2u sin
T U
g
u 2 sin 2 Uy
H
2g Ɵ
u 2 sin 2 UX
R
g y
u2
Rmax , when = 45o
Uy = U sin Ɵ
g U
Ɵ
x
Ux = U cos Ɵ
2
Terms used in projectile motion
1. Time of flight – is the time required for the projectile to return to the same level (plane) from which
it was projected.
2. Maximum height – is the highest vertical distance reached as measured from the horizontal projection
plane.
3. Range – is the horizontal distance from the point of projection to the point where the projection hits
the projectile plane again.
Effect of air resistance on a projectile motion
Air resistance reduces both the range and maximum height of a projectile motion.
Without air resistance
With air resistance
Variables that determine the trajectory of a projectile?
– Angle
– Initial velocity
Initial
Angle
What happens in situations where standard projectile formulae cannot be used?
We simply split each problem into two problems:
1. One involves horizontal motion at constant velocity.
2. The other is exactly the same as the free-fall motion.
3
Parametric equations for the projectile
From S = ut + 12 at 2 we have
x = (ucos )t .....(i) for horizontal distance and
y = (usin )t - 1
2 gt 2 .....(ii) for vertical distance
x
Substitute for t = u cos from (i) in (ii)
we obtain y = x tan - gx2
2u cos2
2
an equation for the path (or trajectory) of the object.
This equation is of the form y = ax - bx 2 which is the
equation of a parabola which passes through the origin.
Maximum Range for a projectile
