Projectile Motion Lab

Horizontal and vertical motion are independent

Launch settings

Launch speed v₀

Launch angle θ

Launch height h

You can also drag the cannon's barrel to aim it.

Show

Velocity components (vₓ, v_y) Position every 0.25 s Predicted path Slow motion (¼ speed)

Predicted (before launch)

Time of flight Range Maximum height

Live readout

t– x , y– vₓ (constant)– v_y (changes by −g each second)– Speed |v|–

The equations

Try this

1. Launch at 30° and then at 60° with the same speed. What do you notice about the range?
2. Which angle gives the longest range from the ground? Does that change when h > 0?
3. Look at the dots: why are they evenly spaced horizontally but not vertically?

Key idea

Gravity only acts vertically. So vₓ = v₀cos θ never changes, while v_y = v₀sin θ − gt drops by g every second. At the top of the path v_y = 0, but vₓ (and the speed) is not zero.