Projectile motion refers to the curved path an object follows when it is launched into the air and moves under the influence of uniform gravity with no air resistance. The trajectory it follows is a parabola.
This motion can be broken into two independent components:
- Horizontal motion – constant velocity (since no horizontal forces act)
- Vertical motion – uniformly accelerated motion due to gravity
Because these two motions occur simultaneously:
- The object moves forward at a constant rate,
- While it also accelerates downward, creating the familiar curved arc.
Examples include:
- A ball thrown at an angle,
- A cannonball fired from a cannon,
- Water jets or fountains.
The symmetry of the parabolic path means the time to rise equals the time to fall, and the object reaches its maximum height at the midpoint of its journey. Projectile motion is a classic example of two-dimensional kinematics in physics.