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:

A Height at release

Relative projection height refers to the difference in the height from which the body is projected and that at which it lands or stops.

The difference between the projection height and landing height determines the flight time and horizontal displacement. A greater relative projection height will increase the maximum distance and flight time of the projectile.

Relative projection height	maximum distance	flight time
0 m	20.39m	2.04 s
3 m	23.04 m	2.30 s
-3.5 m	15.90 m	1.59 s

More details can be explored on the simulation above

Relative projection height	maximum distance	flight time
0 m	20.39m	2.04 s
1 m	21.34 m	2.13 s
2 m	22.22 m	2.22 s
3 m	23.04 m	2.30 s
4 m	23.81 m	2.38 s
5 m	24.54 m	2.45 s