Projectile Motion
Question 1: What is meant by a projectile? Give some examples of the projectile.
Answer:
An object that is launched into space with only gravity acting on it is known as a projectile. An arrow released from a bow, the launching of missiles, a bullet fired from a gun, a javelin thrown by an athlete, a ball thrown into the air, etc. are some real-life examples of projectiles.
Question 2: What is meant by a trajectory?
Answer:
The object that is propelled into space is referred to as a projectile, and the trajectory is the path traveled by the projectile.
Question 3: What is the trajectory formula?
Answer:
where
- “y” is the vertical distance of the object,
- “x” is the horizontal distance of the object,
- “u” is the initial velocity of the object,
- “θ” is the angle of projection with respect to the horizontal, and
- “g” is the acceleration due to gravity.
Question 4: What is the path traveled by a projectile?
Answer:
An object that is thrown into space with an initial velocity and at an angle (except the right angle) with respect to the horizontal travels in a curved path under the influence of acceleration due to the force of gravity. The path of a projectile during its flight is predictable, i.e., a parabolic shape in the absence of air resistance.
Derivation of Equation of Trajectory of a Projectile Motion
An object that is launched into space with only gravity acting on it is known as a projectile. The main force that acts on a projectile is gravity. Though other forces like air resistance also act on a projectile, their impact on the projectile is minimal when compared to the gravitational force. An arrow released from a bow, the launching of missiles, a bullet fired from a gun, a javelin thrown by an athlete, a ball thrown into the air, etc. are some real-life examples of projectiles.