Analyze the trajectory of a projectile including time of flight, range, and peak height.
Last updated: March 2026 | By ForgeCalc Engineering
Projectile motion is a form of motion experienced by an object or particle that is projected near the Earth's surface and moves along a curved path under the action of gravity only. The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.
In ideal projectile motion, there is no air resistance. The horizontal motion is constant velocity, while the vertical motion is constant acceleration due to gravity. This separation of horizontal and vertical components is a key principle in classical mechanics.
Horizontal displacement over time.
Vertical displacement over time.
On level ground (h₀ = 0), an angle of 45° provides the maximum horizontal range.
In the absence of air resistance, mass does not affect the trajectory. A feather and a bowling ball would follow the same path.
Increasing the initial height increases the time of flight, which in turn increases the horizontal range for a given launch angle.
The trajectory of a projectile is a parabola because the vertical position is a quadratic function of time, while the horizontal position is linear.
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