Projectile Motion and Free Fall Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards defining fundamental concepts of projectile motion, free fall, and kinematic variables based on the lecture transcript.

Projectile

An object moving solely under the influence of gravity, assuming forces like air resistance are ignored.

Free Fall

The motion of an object that is subject only to the force of gravity, applicable whether the object is moving upward, moving downward, or dropped.

Vertical Acceleration ($a_y$)

The constant vertical acceleration near Earth's surface caused by gravity, with a magnitude of approximately $9.8\,\text{m/s}^2$ ($g$) and a sign determined strictly by the chosen positive coordinate direction.

Horizontal Acceleration ($a_x$)

The acceleration of a projectile in the horizontal direction, which equals $0\,\text{m/s}^2$ when air resistance is ignored.

Horizontal Velocity ($v_x$)

The horizontal component of a projectile's velocity, which remains constant throughout its flight in the absence of air resistance.

Independence of Perpendicular Motions

The principle that the horizontal and vertical components of a projectile's motion operate completely independently of one another.

Two-Dimensional Motion

Motion that takes place within a single plane, combining separate vertical and horizontal motion components simultaneously.