Projectile Motion Review

Evelyn is playing with a ball and throws it into the air. Which best defines the ball's motion after it has been thrown?

• An object moving in space with no forces acting on it.

• Any object launched into motion regardless of forces acting on it.

• An object in motion under the influence of gravity and air resistance.

• An object in motion influenced only by gravity after being launched.

Why does a projectile, like a basketball thrown by Evelyn, follow a curved path rather than a straight line?

• The horizontal force pulls it sideways.

• Gravity acts perpendicular to its motion.

• The forces acting on the projectile are unbalanced.

• The initial velocity changes direction due to air resistance.

Aria is playing with a toy rocket that she launches horizontally from the top of a hill. Which statement best explains why the horizontal motion of the rocket is constant, assuming air resistance is negligible?

• The force of gravity acts only in the vertical direction.

• There is no gravity acting on the rocket horizontally.

• The horizontal velocity decreases due to air resistance.

• The horizontal acceleration cancels out the vertical acceleration.

Lily is throwing a ball straight up into the air. Why does the vertical velocity of the ball change as it moves?

• Gravity accelerates it downward.

• The initial velocity cancels out gravity.

• Air resistance increases its speed.

• The horizontal motion affects the vertical motion.

Evelyn is launching a water balloon at an angle during a summer picnic. What factor determines the range of the water balloon?

• The mass of the projectile.

• The shape of the projectile.

• The air resistance acting on the projectile.

• The horizontal component of velocity and time of flight.

Emma and Michael are launching two projectiles at 30° and 60° with the same initial speed. How will their ranges compare?

• Both projectiles will have the same range.

• Both projectiles will reach the same height.

• The projectile launched at 30° will travel farther.

• The projectile launched at 60° will travel farther.

Emma is launching a water balloon at a park. If she doubles the speed at which she throws the balloon while keeping the same angle, how does the time it spends in the air change?

• It doubles.

• It quadruples.

• It stays the same.

• It increases by a factor of the square root of 2.

Luna is throwing a ball straight up into the air. What is true about the acceleration of the ball in the vertical direction during its flight?

• It changes with time.

• It is equal to zero at the highest point.

• It remains constant and equals g.

• It depends on the ball's initial velocity.

Daniel launches a projectile horizontally from the top of a cliff. Which factor will determine the time it takes to hit the ground?

• its horizontal velocity

• its horizontal velocity

• the height of the cliff

• the angle of projection

While playing with a water balloon, Mia throws it horizontally from the top of a building. What happens to the horizontal velocity of the water balloon as it moves through its trajectory (neglecting air resistance)?

• It decreases.

• It increases.

• It remains constant.

• It becomes zero at the highest point.