Projectile motion

What you'll learn

1. 1

   Imagine you throw a ball 🏀 at an angle. It curves through the air before landing — that's projectile motion!

2. 2

   Here's a ball launched at 45°. Watch it go up, slow down, then fall back down in a perfect arc.

3. 3

   A ball is thrown with 20 m/s speed at 30°. Let's find how high it goes.

4. 4

   Drag the launch angle slider to see how the parabola changes. Try 60° — does it go higher or lower?

5. 5

   At the highest point of a projectile's path, what is its vertical speed?

6. 6

   A cannon fires a ball at 30 m/s and 40°. What's the vertical component of its speed? (sin 40° ≈ 0.64)

7. 7

   Which force is responsible for the curved path of a projectile?