Trajectory

The Trajectory something follows is its path through space and time. If a cannon is fired, its shell will follow a certain path depending on how much gunpowder was used, how heavy the shell is, and the angle up and down that the cannon is aimed at.

Shell trajectories of several big guns

Trajectory Media

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  Illustration showing the directional trajectory of a bullet fired at an uphill target

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  Trajectories of a mass thrown at an angle of 70°:*  without drag*  with Stokes drag*  with Newton drag

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  Trajectories of projectiles launched at different elevation angles but the same speed of 10 m/s in a vacuum and uniform downward gravity field of 10 m/s2. Points are at 0.05 s intervals and length of their tails is linearly proportional to their speed. t = time from launch, T = time of flight, R = range and H = highest point of trajectory (indicated with arrows).

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  An example showing how to calculate bullet trajectory