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All 11 Flashcards — Projectiles
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Question
What is a projectile?
Answer
An object moving through the air with **only gravity** acting on it (e.g. a thrown ball). Air resistance is ignored at SL.
Question
How do you handle projectile motion?
Answer
Split it into **two independent parts**: horizontal (constant velocity) and vertical (free fall, a = g). They share the same time.
Question
What happens to the horizontal velocity during flight?
Answer
It stays **constant** — there is no sideways force.
Question
What happens to the vertical velocity during flight?
Answer
It **increases** downward at g = 9.8 m s⁻² (free fall).
Question
What links the horizontal and vertical parts?
Answer
The **time** — it is the **same** for both columns.
Question
How do you find the time of flight?
Answer
From the **vertical** drop only: use s = u_y t + ½gt² (with u_y = 0 for a horizontal launch).
Question
How do you find the horizontal range?
Answer
**Range = horizontal velocity × time of flight** (R = u_x·t), using the time from the vertical part.
Question
Dropped vs thrown horizontally from the same height — which lands first?
Answer
**Together** — same height and same vertical start, so identical fall time. The throw only adds sideways distance.
Question
Does a faster horizontal launch make a projectile fall sooner?
Answer
**No** — horizontal speed adds range but does not change the vertical fall time.
Question
What path does a horizontally-launched projectile trace?
Answer
A **parabola** — constant horizontal steps combined with growing vertical drops.
Question
Why is the impact speed of a horizontal launch larger than a vertical drop?
Answer
Both gain the same **vertical** speed, but the horizontal launch also keeps its **horizontal** velocity, so the combined speed is bigger.
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Topic 1.1 hub
Kinematics
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