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The horizontal velocity of a projectile is constant (a never changing in value), There is a vertical acceleration caused by gravity; its value is 9.8 m/s/s, down, The vertical velocity of a projectile changes by 9.8 m/s each second, The horizontal motion of a projectile is independent of its vertical motion.
- Horizontally Launched Projectile Problems
While the general principles are the same for each type of...
- Horizontal and Vertical Displacement
The data in the table above show the symmetrical nature of a...
- Motion Characteristics of a Projectile
Projectiles are objects upon which the only force is...
- Initial Velocity Components
The horizontal and vertical motion of a projectile are...
- What is a Projectile
Gravity acts to influence the vertical motion of the...
- There is a Vertical Force Acting Upon a Projectile But No Horizontal Force
Gravity acts to influence the vertical motion of the...
- Projectile Motion Simulator
The Projectile Simulator Interactive provides the learner...
- Addition of Forces
In Unit 2 we studied the use of Newton's second law and...
- Horizontally Launched Projectile Problems
The horizontal velocity remains constant, but the vertical velocity varies linearly, because the acceleration is constant. At any time, \(\mathrm{t}\), the velocity is: \[\begin{align} \mathrm{u_x} & \mathrm{=u⋅ \cos θ} \\ \mathrm{u_y} & \mathrm{=u⋅ \sin θ−g⋅t} \end{align}\]
On Earth, we use the constant g = -9.8 m/s^2 to represent the constant acceleration due to gravity that pulls us to Earth's center of mass. Whether you use +g or -g depends on how you define your system; some people like to use +g and switch all their variables around.
The only acceleration of a projectile is the downwards acceleration due to gravity (see Figure 1 below). Vertical acceleration is always equal to 9.8 m s 2 downward at all points of the trajectory, no matter how a projectile is launched.
Identify and explain the properties of a projectile, such as acceleration due to gravity, range, maximum height, and trajectory. Determine the location and velocity of a projectile at different points in its trajectory. Apply the principle of independence of motion to solve projectile motion problems.
Since up is positive, the initial velocity and maximum height are positive, but the acceleration due to gravity is negative. The maximum height depends only on the vertical component of the initial velocity.
Note that because up is positive, the initial vertical velocity is positive, as is the maximum height, but the acceleration resulting from gravity is negative. Note also that the maximum height depends only on the vertical component of the initial velocity, so that any projectile with a 67.6-m/s initial vertical component of velocity reaches a ...
