Projectile Motion: Student Learning Goals The student will plan and conduct an inquiry to study the motion of an object being accelerated by the force of gravity.

Projectile Motion SPH3U

What is a projectile? A projectile is any object upon which the only force acting is gravity.

Acceleration The acceleration of the object is always [down] even while it is moving upwards.

Acceleration The acceleration of the object is always [down] even while it is moving upwards. And all objects experience the same acceleration.

The trajectory The path of a projectile (also called the trajectory) will always be a parabola.

The trajectory Why? Because as a projectile falls, the horizontal displacement increases linearly with time – there is no horizontal acceleration.

The trajectory Why? Because as a projectile falls, the horizontal displacement increases linearly with time – there is no horizontal acceleration.

The trajectory This is true even if the projectile is launched at an angle above the horizontal:

Projectiles are often launched at an angle above their horizontal to increase their range, the horizontal distance travelled before they hit the ground.