How Projectile Motion Calculator Works?

This horizontal projectile motion calculator is a tool for calculating a specific example of projectile motion in which an item is propelled horizontally from an elevated plane. Enter any two values, and the rest will be computed in the blink of an eye! Furthermore, the course will be provided underneath the findings. Continue reading to learn about the horizontal projectile motion equations.

What is projectile motion equation?

As previously stated, horizontal projectile motion equations are a subset of generic formulas. We don’t need to give the launch angle because it’s parallel to the ground (thus, the angle is 0°). As a result, we only have one component of initial velocity,

Vx = V,\text{and } Vy = 0.

Horizontal projectile motion equations

We shall assume that the starting point is at the origin. Then, we can express the equations of motion as follows:

Distance

We denote Horizontal distance by:

x = V * t

The formula y = – g *\frac{t_2}{2} describes the vertical distance from the ground, where g is gravity acceleration and ‘h’ is elevation.

Velocity

V is the horizontal velocity.

-We denote Vertical velocity by:

–g * t

Acceleration

Horizontal acceleration equals zero.

-g is the vertical acceleration (because only gravity acts on the projectile).

The equations for horizontal projectile motion are as follows:

A trajectory equation

To eliminate t, we may combine the equations x = V * t and y = − g * t2 / 2.

As a result, the trajectory is equivalent to:

y = – g * \frac{(\frac{x}{V})2} {2} = \frac{– g*x^2}{2*V^2}

Flight duration

To determine the projectile’s flight period, we must first determine when the projectile impacts the ground. It occurs in our coordinate system when the y coordinate equals h: g * t2 / 2 = h. Therefore, we may deduce from this equation that the flying time is equal to:

t = 2 * \frac{h}{g}

The projectile’s range

The overall horizontal distance travelled by the bullet throughout its flight period is defined as its range. The equation may then write down the equation as:

r = V * t = v * \frac{h}{g}

We won’t determine the maximum height since we don’t have an initial vertical velocity component -which implies the maximum height is the one we started.

We ignored the air resistance acting on the projectile in all computations. Therefore the total kinetic and potential energy is preserved.

Example of horizontal projectile motion calculations

Assume we wish to compute the duration of flight and distance travelled by a ball thrown from a building at a constant horizontal speed, say 6 m/s.

  1. Enter the velocity here. It is 6 m/s in our situation. If necessary, change the units.
  2. Type in the beginning height from which the motion starts. The structure stands 220 meters tall.
  3. Our horizontal projectile motion calculator calculates flight time, distance, and trajectory! We discovered that the ball takes 6.7 seconds to reach the ground and has a horizontal displacement of 40.18m.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the characteristics of the movement of the projectile?

The horizontal velocity of projectile-moving objects is constant, whereas the vertical velocity is continually changing. Therefore, a parabola is always the geometry of the trajectory that results from this combination.

What factors affect the movement of horizontally launched projectiles?

Gravity, air resistance, speed, release angle, and height of release spin are all factors that impact a projectile’s flight path.

Why does the projectile follow a curved trajectory?

The only forces acting on a projectile are air resistance and gravity. The ball follows a curved route due to an initial forward velocity and the downward vertical pull of gravity.