Any object that is in flight in the horizontal and vertical directions is said to be in projectile motion. The main force acting on the projectile is gravity in the vertical direction. The path followed by the projectile is called a trajectory. The trajectory of a projectile motion is always in the form of a parabola. For example, in a game of baseball, when a ball is hit into the air, you can see it coming down eventually, and the path followed is always like a parabola, this is called projectile motion. In this article, we will look at 20 examples of projectile motion.
Examples of projectile motion
- Throwing a ball or anything.
- Bullet fired from a gun
- The motion of a cannonball
- Bow and arrow/sling-shot
- Baseball
- Football kicked in a game of soccer
- Hammer throw
- Javelin throw
- Shot put
- Golf ball
- Water from a hosepipe
- Stunts in a skateboard or a bike
- Long jump
- Pole vault
- Gymnastics
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Monkeys swinging between trees
- Ping-pong
- Rockets or missiles
Now let us discuss each one of the projectile motion examples in detail:
Throwing a ball or anything: When we throw any object up into the sky we see that it eventually comes down. But when we throw it at an angle, then it travels for a distance and then falls down. This path followed by the object seems to be like a parabola. This part is not linear nor circular, this is called projectile motion, and the path followed by the object is called a trajectory. So, when we throw a ball horizontally in the air, then it does a parabola-like loop and then falls down. This is an example of projectile motion. This happens with any object that we throw at an angle to the ground. The main force acting on the object during travel is the gravitational force.
A bullet fired from a gun: When a bullet is fired from a gun it travels a distance due to the force provided by the ignition of the gunpowder. But, as the bullet leaves the gun, the gravitational force acts on it and makes it follow a parabolic path and it eventually falls down to the ground unless and until stopped by any opposing force.
Football kicked in a game: When a football is kicked in a game of soccer it travels a certain distance in the air and it falls at an angle to the ground. This is an example of projectile motion.
The motion of a cannonball: You must have seen old video clippings of wars where cannon guns were used. A cannon is a large, tubular firearm used to fire objects. The calculations are so made based on the force and weight of the projectile so that the projectile falls on the desired target. Catapults are also similar examples. A well-known example of a catapult is the trebuchet which uses a long arm to throw projectiles over long distances.
Bow and arrows/ slingshots: Bow and arrows and slingshots were also weapons that were widely used in ancient days before the introduction of gunpowder. Even today, we can see that in the game of archery, when an arrow is fired at an angle to the ground, it follows a parabolic path of a projectile and then hits the target.
Baseball: In a game of baseball, A ball is hit by the bat and it is launched into the air. If you observe carefully, you will see that the ball does not follow a uniform circular path. The path is likely to be parabolic in nature, depending on the angle at which it is launched.
Hammer throw: In a game of hammer throw, a person has to throw a hammer to the maximum distance. So in order to gain maximum distance the person goes into a circular motion to get a centrifugal force and then throws the hammer. The hammer has to be thrown at a specific angle so as to get maximum distance. The laws of projectile motion are applied here to get the maximum benefit out of the throw.
Javelin throw: In a game of javelin throw, a javelin is thrown to the maximum distance. This is similar to hammer throw, but here a person runs a short distance to get some amount of momentum and then throws the javelin. The javelin travels a certain distance and then falls down following a parabolic path. The angle of the throw is crucial, as it determines the distance traveled by the javelin. Wind factors like wind speed and wind direction are also crucial here as they may affect the motion of the projectile.
Shot put: This is a sport similar to javelin throw instead a small heavy piece of the metal ball is used to be thrown. The athlete again follows a uniform circular motion to generate the maximum force on the ball. The ball follows a parabolic path and then falls at a certain distance. The angle of the throw is again crucial here.
Golf ball: In a game of golf, a Golf ball is hit by a Golf stick. The ball again follows the parabolic motion and then lands at a specific location. The angle and the force applied are very important for the ball to land at the desired location.
Water from a hosepipe: You must have seen the motion of water from a hose pipe especially from a high-pressure hose pipe. The water does not fall down immediately but undergoes a parabolic path before it reaches the ground. This is useful in controlling the motion of the water so that it falls on the desired location only.
Stunts in a skateboard or a bike: You must have seen stunts performed by skateboarders or bikers. The person follows a parabolic path and then falls back on the stadium or on the ground.
Long jump: In the sport of the long jump an athlete has to jump so as to get the maximum distance. In order to maximize the distance, the angle of the jump is very crucial. A maximum distance is obtained at a jump angle of 45°.
Pole vault: The Pole vault is similar to the long jump, but here a pole is used to clear a certain height. Watching a pole vault will make projectile motion more clear to you.
Gymnastics: In gymnastics, a person does many stunts and jumps from one pole to another. The motion of the person as he jumps is parabolic.
Basketball: When a basketball is thrown into the basket, the ball travels on a parabolic trajectory and then goes into the basket.
Volleyball: In a game of volleyball, the ball follows a parabolic motion from one side of the net to the other, this is a very good example of projectile motion.
Monkeys swinging between trees: A Monkey swinging between trees is an example of projectile motion. They jump with an angle to the ground follow a parabolic motion and reach the other tree
Ping-pong: In a game of ping pong (table tennis), you can see that the motion of the ball is slightly parabolic in nature.
Rockets or missiles: Rockets and missiles are fired from one part of the earth to space or to other parts of the earth. During the motion, they are not exactly linear but follow a parabolic path.
Is the turning of cars in a curved road an example of projectile motion?
No, since there is no vertical component involved in the turning of a vehicle, this cannot be considered as a projectile motion. But yes, if the car is thrown into the air while turning then it can be considered as an example of projectile motion.
What are the examples of projectile motion in our daily lives?
Tossing an object into the bin, water flowing from a tap, jumping from a bus, etc. are all common examples of projectile motion that we encounter every day. Yes, well-known examples of projectile motion like bullets, slingshots, baseballs, and rockets are not very common in our daily lives.
See also
- Newtons second law examples
- 15 Examples of inertia of motion
- 10 Examples of inertia of rest
- Examples of newtons first law of motion
- 15 Examples of newtons third law of motion
- Examples of periodic motion
- Examples of non-periodic motion
- Non-uniform motion examples
- Examples of uniform motion
- Maximum height of a projectile formula
