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Projectile motion has two components: horizontal and vertical. Gravity causes a constant acceleration towards Earth, while horizontal motion remains constant unless affected by external forces. The curve of the Earth affects the angle of horizontal movement and must be considered for longer ranges and angled projectiles.
In physics, the motion of a projectile can be divided into two components: horizontal and vertical. In most cases, the vertical component is the motion caused by gravity acting on the object. For any object, gravity causes a constant acceleration toward the Earth at a velocity of 32.2 ft/s2, or 9.8 m/s2. Horizontal motion is the movement of a projectile in a horizontal plane due to the force acting on it. Over short distances, the vertical and horizontal motions of the projectile are perpendicular and independent of each other.
Newton’s second law of physics states that an object will continue to move at the same speed as long as no external forces act on it. This means that an object’s horizontal motion will remain constant until it is affected by further push or pull. If an external force is perpendicular to the object’s motion, as with gravity, a change in direction will occur, but the actual velocity will remain constant. This only holds true for short distances because the Earth is assumed to be flat, so that the effect of gravity remains constant.
To be considered horizontal motion, a projectile must be fired in a straight line, not at any angle. The speed of the projectile can be changed, but what remains the same is that it is fired perpendicular to the earth’s surface. The projectile is subject to a constant vertical force of gravity, regardless of the horizontal force used to fire the projectile, meaning that the projectile will always land in the same amount of time. By changing the projectile’s initial velocity, or the force used to fire it, the projectile will travel more or less long distances horizontally in the same amount of time.
As the distance an object travels increases, the curve of the Earth begins to affect its horizontal motion. The reason for this change is that the angle of the horizontal movement of the object changes relative to the earth’s surface. This means that gravity is no longer perpendicular to the movement of the object, so it will affect the movement of the object. When working with longer ranges and/or projectiles fired at an angle, such as a missile, the horizontal and vertical components must be determined in order to calculate the distance the projectile can travel.
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