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Mechanics · Projectiles

Chapter 1 · 3

The idea

Projectile motion formulae

The standard results for a projectile launched at speed u and angle θ over level ground — time of flight 2u sinθ/g, greatest height u²sin²θ/(2g), range u²sin2θ/g — and using them in reverse to find u or θ.

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Mechanics · Projectiles

Projectile motion formulae

The standard results for a projectile launched at speed u and angle θ over level ground — time of flight 2u sinθ/g, greatest height u²sin²θ/(2g), range u²sin2θ/g — and using them in reverse to find u or θ.

Why it works

How far can a throw go?

A footballer can launch a ball at about 21 m s−121\ \text{m s}^{-1}. How far can it possibly travel before landing — and what angle wins? By the end of this lesson that has a one-line answer: 4545 m, at exactly 45∘45^\circ. You could reach it the long way, running the full suvat analysis from the projection lesson — but this situation (launched and landing at the same level) is so common that its three landmark answers are worth carrying as formulae. This lesson is those three results: where each comes from, and when they may — and may not — be used.

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