What is projectile motion?.
also called ballistic motion, is a form of motion in which an object or particle (called a projectile) is thrown near the earths surface, and it moves along a curved path under the action of gravity only.
The only force of significance that acts on the object is gravity, which acts downward to cause a downward . There are no horizontal forces needed to maintain the horizontal motion – consistent with the concept of inertia.
Because projectile motion has many applications and is a simple example of two dimensional motion, subject to only one significant force, it is a common focus of introductory problems in physics courses. Theoretical predictions about projectile motion can also be easily checked using catapults, trebuchets, or small spring loaded canons in introductory lab activities, which are usually pretty fun.
