Projectile Motion And Kinematics Of A Thrown Baseball

Abstract
Projectile motion refers to the motion of an object that is projected into the air and then is
subject to the force of gravity. The trajectory of the object is determined by the initial velocity,
angle of projection, and the acceleration due to gravity. When a pitcher releases a ball, the
initial velocity and angle of projection will determine the trajectory of the ball as it moves
towards the plate. The height and distance that the ball travels will be affected by the angle of
projection.
Introduction

Projectile motion refers to an object being projected into the air at an angle or straight up.
Gravity is a key force that affects projectile motion. A projectile only has one force acting upon
it being gravity. Gravity affects all objects the same way regardless of their mass. The angle that
maximizes the range of an object horizontally the most is 45 degrees. The angle that maximizes
vertical displacement the most is 90 degrees. This is true because none of the energy is
transfered into the horizontal direction and instead it is all directed towards the vertical
direction. In order to achieve the farthest distance a baseball can be hit or throws, according to
projectile motion, it has to be hit/thrown at an angle of 45 degrees. If you wanted to hit or
throw the baseball as high as you could, you would have to throw/hit the ball at 90 degrees to
maximize vertical displacement.

Model And Calculation

The point O is called the point of projection; θ is the angle of projection and OB = Horizontal
Range or Simply Range. The total time taken by the particle from reaching O to B is called the
time of flight.
Total Time of Flight
Resultant displacement (s) = 0 in Vertical direction. Therefore, the time of flight formula is given
by using the Equation of motion:
gt2 = 2(uyt – sy) [Here, uy = u sin θ and sy = 0]
i.e. gt2 = 2t × u sin θ

Horizontal Range
Horizontal Range (OA) = Horizontal component of velocity (ux) × Total Flight Time (t)
R = u cos θ × 2u×sinθg
Therefore, in a projectile motion, the Horizontal Range is given by (R):

Maximum Height of Projectile

After understanding what a projectile is, let us know the maximum height of the projectile. The
object’s maximum height is the highest vertical position along its trajectory. The horizontal
displacement of the projectile is called the range of the projectile. The range of the projectile
depends on the object’s initial velocity.
If v is the initial velocity, g = acceleration due to gravity and H = maximum height in metres, θ =
angle of the initial velocity from the horizontal plane (radians or degrees).
The maximum height of the projectile is given by the formula:
A Baseball is launched at a velocity of 30 m/s in a direction making an angle of 50° upward with
the horizontal.

Q1. What is the maximum height reached by the object?

Q2. What is the object’s total flight time (between launch and touching the ground)?

Q3. What is the object’s horizontal range (maximum x above ground)?

Maximum Height
Total Flight Time and Horizontal Range

Conclusion
A projectile motion is travelling in a parabolic motion and the optimum angle is depending on the
final y velocity component and final x velocity component. The equations can be used in any
projectile motion with or without a given initial height. However, the equations are assumed
ideal, hence there is no forces or other factors such as air resistance involved.

Reference

Projectile Motion - Definition, Formula, Examples, Concepts, Video, and FAQs

https://byjus.com/physics/projectile-motion/