Projectile Motion / Chapter activities
Projectile Motion Lab
One projectile = two simultaneous motions
Resolve the launch velocity into horizontal and vertical components. Analyse each direction separately, then connect them using the same elapsed time.
Standard model · no air resistanceRight and up are positive. Gravity acts downward only. Angles are measured above the horizontal.
Resolve the initial velocity
Change launch speed and angle in the controls below. The triangle always represents the initial velocity, even after the projectile starts moving.
The hypotenuse is vᵢ, not vᵢₓ + vᵢᵧ. Check: u² = vᵢₓ² + vᵢᵧ².
Use Highest point or enable Pause at highest point below. Compare velocity and acceleration at that instant.
Constant-acceleration equations
Initial velocity: vi · final velocity: vf · displacement: d · acceleration: a · elapsed time: t. The i / f subscripts follow the supplied resource sheet’s initial / final convention.
Apply these separately: horizontally dx = x and ax = 0; vertically dy = Δy = y − h and ay = −g. The live values vx and vy are the final components vf,x and vf,y for the selected elapsed time.
Choose before calculating
Which relationship should you use first?
Connect the two directions
Time is shared. An equation for one direction must use the velocity, acceleration and displacement from that same direction.
Show calculation & interpretation
These practice examples use g = 9.8 m/s² and ignore air resistance.
Question-type guide
NCEA past papers
Show / hide guidance & model notes
Predict before checking.
Point projectile; icon not to scale. Diameter affects drag, not wall contact. Vectors of different quantities use different scales.
Model and equations
Without drag: x = vᵢₓt, y = h + vᵢᵧt − 12gt2. Here y is height above ground; Δy = y − h is vertical displacement from launch. With drag: Fᴅ = −12ρCᴅA|v|v, A = πd²4, ρ = 1.225 exp(−altitude8500). Density is fixed within each flight. No wind, spin or bounce. Wall and ceiling contact end the trajectory. A zero-thickness barrier checks height at one horizontal position. An elevated target is a reference point, not a collision surface. Object presets are illustrative, not measured specifications.
Standard model: constant gravity, flat ground and no air resistance. Advanced drag uses a numerical model. CSV exports the current trial. Saved comparisons last for this session.