Kinematics in Two Dimensions

Analyze the horizontal and vertical components of the motion separately--let's refer to these as the x-component and y-component, respectively.

Tricks for projectile motion:

1. The vertical acceleration is 9.8 m/s² down.

2. The vertical velocity at the peak is 0.

3. The horizontal acceleration is 0.

4. The first three tricks are all you need, but here's a time-saver: Projectile motion is symmetric. This means that the vertical speed at any height is the same on the way up as on the way down. Also, the time to travel between two different heights is the same on the way up as on the way down.

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This page maintained by Steven Blatt. Suggestions, comments, questions, and corrections are welcome.