Projectile Motion

Projectile motion refers to the motion of a projected object (e.g., a shot put, a javelin, a human body during pole-vaulting) acted on by forces of gravity.

For simplicity, air resistance is considered negligible in the following cases.

In sports, once the projected object is released or thrown in the air, control of the object is no longer possible. Therefore, it is important to consider the following factors that affect the flight path of the projectile prior to its release:

c. Velocity at release

The speed of projection determines the length of trajectory (range). A higher velocity at release will increase the maximum distance and flight time of the projectile.

Velocity at release	maximum distance	flight time
5 m/s	2.56 m	0.72 s
10 m/s	10.20 m	1.44 s
15 m/s	22.95 m	2.16 s
20 m/s	40.78 m	2.88 s

More details can be explored on the simulation above