Question

A projectile is launched horizontally off a cliff. If the projectile is launched with more velocity, the time it spends in the air will ____________________.

Answer 1

Answer:

If the projectile is launched horizontally the time it remains in the air will remain constant even if we increase the horizontal velocity.

Explanation:

The vertical displacement will be the same irrespective of the horizontal velocity assuming the projectile is launched from same height. The formula for vertical displacement is given by:

$y = v_{oy} - 1/2gt^{2}$

where, y = vertical displacement, t = time,

g = acceleration due to gravity,

$v_{oy}$ = Initial vertical velocity

Since, projectile is launched horizontally, therefore $v_{oy} = 0$

so the equation becomes

$y = - 1/2gt^{2}$

The above equation shows that time spend in air is not dependent on horizontal launched velocity as there is no horizontal velocity in the formula therefore the time in air will remain constant even if we increase the horizontal velocity.