A body dropped near the Earth’s

surface will accelerate at around

9.8ms-2 .

Galileo found out what would

happen if the body was
projected with a sideways
velocity.

Galileo claimed
that the sideways
motion did not
affect the vertical
motion.
Aristotle said that projectile motion
had:
•an initial violent phase (straight).
•a final phase as bodies ran out of
‘impetus’ and then fell toward Earth (their
natural position).
•heavy objects fall more quickly than light
ones.
A ball bearing is launched
horizontally.
Strobe photograph taken
with a 1s shutter ‘speed’.
What do you notice about the horizontal spacing of the
images?

•Equal spacing shows a uniform

horizontal velocity.
•In the absence of (significant) drag,
there are no horizontal forces to
decelerate the ball bearing.
What do you notice about the vertical spacing of the
images?

•Increasing spacing indicates accelerated motion.

•The acceleration = g
•The vertical and horizontal motions are thus
independent of each other….as Galileo discovered!
•Apply equations of motion
SEPARATELY to the horizontal
and vertical motions.

•Time is the variable that is the

same for both components of the
motion. Time therefore links
both.
We will tackle examples of:
•Horizontal launch
•Launch to maximum height
•Launch back to / below
ground level
•Maximum range
•Angles for certain range
•Parabolic Path
 An aircraft travelling at an altitude
of 1km releases a bomb so that it
hits a target 5km away
(horizontally).
Calculate the necessary velocity,
v, of the aircraft.
Horizontal Motion: Vertical Motion:
s = 5000 m u = 0 ms-1
t= ? s = 1000 m
sam
e
v=? a = 9.8 ms-2
t=?
 Horizontal Motion: Vertical Motion:
s = 5000 m u = 0 ms-1
tt==?14.32 s s = 1000 m
v=? a = 9.8 ms-2
t=?
s
v=
t 1 2
s = ut + at
5000 2
∴v = = 349ms −1
14.32 2s
∴t =
a
5 x60 x60 2 x1000
⇒ = 786mph ∴t =
1.6 x14.32 9 .8
∴ t = 14.3s
Calculate the speed of the bomb just before impact,
and its angle of impact.
Vertical Motion:
We always assume no drag and
so the horizontal component of u = 0 ms-1
the velocity is 349.2 ms-1 .
s = 1000 m
a = 9.8 ms-2
349.2 ms -1

θ t = 14.32 s

140 ms-1
v=?

v = u + 2as
2

∴ v = 2 x9.8 x1000
−1
∴ v = 140ms
 349.2 ms-1
θ

140 ms-1
37
6m
s -1

140
v = 349.2 + 140
2 2 tan θ =
349.2
−1
∴ v = 376ms ∴θ = 22 0
 A shell is launched at
a velocity of 100 ms-1
and an angle of 300.

-1 Calculate the
m s maximum height

50 ms-1
0 0 above initial position.
1
300

Vertical Motion:
u = 100 sin 30 ms-1
v −u
2 2
s=?
s=
2a a = -9.8 ms-2
0 − 50 2
v = 0 ms-1
∴s = = 128m
2(−9.8)
 If the shell is launched from
10m above the sea,
calculate the RANGE (the
horizontal displacement).
Vertical Motion:
10 m u = 50 ms-1
s = -10 m
a = -9.8 ms-2

1 2 t=?
s = ut + at
2
∴ −10 = 50t − 4.9t 2

∴ 4.9t − 50t − 10 = 0
2
 − (−50) ± (−50) − 4(4.9)(−10)
2
∴t =
2 ( 4 .9 )
50 ± 2696
∴t = t = 10.40s or -0.20s
9.8
Horizontal Motion: s = vt
s=?
∴ s = 86.60 x10.40
t= 10.40 s
v = 100 cos 30 ms-1 ∴ s = 901m
The range of a projectile depends on the:
•pull of gravity
•angle of launch
•velocity of launch
We will find the relationship between these four variables:

Range

Horizontal Motion: Vertical Motion:

s = Range u = V sin θ
t= ? s=0
v = V cos θ a = -g
t=?
v = -V sin θ
 Horizontal Motion: Vertical Motion:
s=R u = V sin θ
t= ? s=0
v = V cos θ a = -g
t=?
v = -V sin θ

R v = u + at
t=
v cos θ ∴ −V sin θ = V sin θ − gt

gR
∴ −V sin θ = V sin θ −
V cos θ
 gR
∴ 2V sin θ =
V cos θ

∴V 2 sin θ cos θ = gR
2

2sinθcosθ = sin2θ
∴V sin 2θ = gR
2

V sin 2θ
2
∴R =
g
•For a given launch velocity, R is maximum when
sin 2θ is a maximum.

2
V
Rmax =
g
•A ‘sin’ has a maximum value of 1.

•Sin 90o =1
•Therefore 2θ = 90o

θ=45o
Thus the range is maximum when θ = 450.

Why, then, do golfers get

maximum range with a driver
with only 8.50 loft?
 -1
s
m
0 0
1

Calculate the maximum range of a projectile fired at 100 ms-1 :

2
V 2 100
Rmax = ∴ Rmax = = 1020m
g 9.8
Calculate the launch angle 656 x9.8
which gives a range of ∴ sin 2θ =
100 2
656m at 100 ms-1 .
V 2 sin 2θ ∴ sin 2θ = 0.64288
R=
g ∴ 2θ = 40 or140
0 0

Rg
∴ sin 2θ = 2 ∴θ = 20 or 70
0 0
V
 y

1 2
v

θ
y = Vt sin θ − gt
2
x

x
t=
V cos θ
We need to find an equation relating x and y. t is a
variable so it will need to be eliminated!
 1 2 x
y = Vt sin θ − gt t=
2 V cos θ

Vx sin θ g x 2
∴y = −
V cos θ 2 V cos θ
2 2

g
∴ y = x tan θ − 2 x 2

2V cos θ
2

∴ y = kx − k ′x 2
k and k’ are constants!

This is a quadratic in x. The path is therefore parabolic.

•The path of a projectile looks parabolic.
•An analysis can be done to check this….
Write down, in a
table, the xy
positions of the
ball.
 g
y = x tan θ − 2 x 2

2V cos θ
2

Here, θ = 0 (horizontal projection) and so:

•Cos2 0 = 1

•If we take downwards as +

then the sign changes
•…and if we group all the
constants as one, k, then….

y = kx 2
 PARABOLIC MOTION

y x x 2
3000

0.2 4.2 18 2500

0.7 7.1 50 2000

1.1 9.9 98 1500

y
1.9 12.6 159 1000

500
2.8 15.3 234
0
3.7 18.0 324 0 5 10 15 20 25 30
-500
4.9 20.9 437 x
2

6.1 23.6 557

7.5 26.2 686
9.1 29.1 847
10.9 32.0 1024
12.8 34.8 1211
15.0 37.6 1413
17.2 40.4 1632
19.6 43.2 1866
22.1 46.1 2125
24.9 49.0 2401
To film Apollo 13, the actors had to be in a simulated
freefall environment.
This was done by flying them in a plane, flying a
parabolic path.