Back to Physics in Simulations
IntermediateTeenagers
Projectile Motion
What path does a ball take when you throw it? That's projectile motion!
It's a combination of two separate movements:
1. **Horizontal Motion:** If we ignore air resistance, the ball moves horizontally at a constant speed.
2. **Vertical Motion:** The ball is constantly being pulled down by gravity. Its upward speed decreases, it reaches a peak, and then its downward speed increases.
When you combine these two, you get a curved path called a 'parabola'.
To simulate this, you need to track the horizontal velocity (which stays the same) and the vertical velocity (which is changed by gravity in every step of your simulation).
It's a combination of two separate movements:
1. **Horizontal Motion:** If we ignore air resistance, the ball moves horizontally at a constant speed.
2. **Vertical Motion:** The ball is constantly being pulled down by gravity. Its upward speed decreases, it reaches a peak, and then its downward speed increases.
When you combine these two, you get a curved path called a 'parabola'.
To simulate this, you need to track the horizontal velocity (which stays the same) and the vertical velocity (which is changed by gravity in every step of your simulation).
Simulate a Bouncing Ball
Simulate a ball bouncing 5 times, reducing its height by half each time. The initial height is 100.