Projectile Motion Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards defining core terms and kinematic components of projectile motion based on the lecture notes.

Projectile Motion

The motion of a body launched horizontally or at an angle other than $90^\circ$ with the horizontal, moving along a curved path under constant gravitational acceleration.

Projectile

The body or object being thrown upon which the only acting force is gravity.

Trajectory

The curved parabolic path that a projectile follows during its motion.

Range

The horizontal distance traveled by a projectile between its launching point and landing point.

Horizontally Launched Projectile

A projectile launched with an initial horizontal velocity, having no upward trajectory and no initial vertical velocity ($v_{oy} = 0\,m/s$).

Horizontal Component

The side-to-side motion of a projectile characterized by uniform motion where velocity remains constant ($v_{fx} = v_{ix}$) and acceleration is zero ($a_x = 0$).

Vertical Component

The up-and-down motion of a projectile characterized by free fall, moving vertically at a constant acceleration of gravity ($a_y = g = -9.8\,m/s^2$).

Initial Vertical Velocity ($v_{iy}$)

The starting vertical speed of a projectile, which equals $0\,m/s$ for a horizontally launched projectile.

Magnitude of Velocity

The overall speed of a projectile at any given instance, calculated by combining its horizontal and vertical velocity components using $v = \sqrt{v_x^2 + v_y^2}$.