Unlock AI power-ups — upgrade and save 20%!
Use code STUBE20OFF during your first month after signup. Upgrade now →
By Khan Academy Physics
Published Loading...
N/A views
N/A likes
Get instant insights and key takeaways from this YouTube video by Khan Academy Physics.
Horizontally Launched Projectile Definition and Context
📌 A horizontally launched projectile is an object starting with zero initial vertical velocity and only a horizontal component to its launch velocity.
🧱 Examples include a ball rolling off a flat table or a person running straight off a cliff.
🧗 In the example provided, a diver is launched horizontally at from a cliff high ( assuming downward is negative).
Decomposition of Motion
▶️ Horizontal ($x$) motion and vertical ($y$) motion occur independently of each other.
↔️ The horizontal velocity () remains constant at throughout the flight (assuming no air resistance, ).
⏬ The vertical motion is driven by gravity, starting with and accelerating downwards at .
Solving for Time (Vertical Analysis)
🛑 The common trap is incorrectly setting the initial vertical velocity () to the given horizontal velocity (); it must be zero.
⏳ Time ($t$) is found using the vertical displacement equation: .
📉 Plugging in values: , yielding .
⚠️ Forgetting the negative sign for displacement () results in attempting to take the square root of a negative number.
Solving for Horizontal Distance (Horizontal Analysis)
🎯 The calculated time () is the same for both dimensions, linking the vertical and horizontal analyses.
📏 The horizontal distance () is calculated using the simplified kinematic equation since : .
🎯 Resulting horizontal distance: .
Key Points & Insights
➡️ Identify the initial vertical velocity () as zero for any object launched purely horizontally; this is the most frequent mistake in these problems.
➡️ Maintain coordinate convention: If downward is negative, the vertical displacement () must be negative (e.g., ).
➡️ Time is the linking variable: Solve for time ($t$) using the known variables in the vertical direction before solving for the unknown horizontal distance ().
📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 15, 2026, 16:42 UTC
Find relevant products on Amazon related to this video
Physics
Shop on Amazon
Neuroscience Book
Shop on Amazon
Brain Model
Shop on Amazon
Psychology Textbook
Shop on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases
Full video URL: youtube.com/watch?v=jmSWImPs6fQ
Duration: 12:26
Get instant insights and key takeaways from this YouTube video by Khan Academy Physics.
Horizontally Launched Projectile Definition and Context
📌 A horizontally launched projectile is an object starting with zero initial vertical velocity and only a horizontal component to its launch velocity.
🧱 Examples include a ball rolling off a flat table or a person running straight off a cliff.
🧗 In the example provided, a diver is launched horizontally at from a cliff high ( assuming downward is negative).
Decomposition of Motion
▶️ Horizontal ($x$) motion and vertical ($y$) motion occur independently of each other.
↔️ The horizontal velocity () remains constant at throughout the flight (assuming no air resistance, ).
⏬ The vertical motion is driven by gravity, starting with and accelerating downwards at .
Solving for Time (Vertical Analysis)
🛑 The common trap is incorrectly setting the initial vertical velocity () to the given horizontal velocity (); it must be zero.
⏳ Time ($t$) is found using the vertical displacement equation: .
📉 Plugging in values: , yielding .
⚠️ Forgetting the negative sign for displacement () results in attempting to take the square root of a negative number.
Solving for Horizontal Distance (Horizontal Analysis)
🎯 The calculated time () is the same for both dimensions, linking the vertical and horizontal analyses.
📏 The horizontal distance () is calculated using the simplified kinematic equation since : .
🎯 Resulting horizontal distance: .
Key Points & Insights
➡️ Identify the initial vertical velocity () as zero for any object launched purely horizontally; this is the most frequent mistake in these problems.
➡️ Maintain coordinate convention: If downward is negative, the vertical displacement () must be negative (e.g., ).
➡️ Time is the linking variable: Solve for time ($t$) using the known variables in the vertical direction before solving for the unknown horizontal distance ().
📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 15, 2026, 16:42 UTC
Find relevant products on Amazon related to this video
Physics
Shop on Amazon
Neuroscience Book
Shop on Amazon
Brain Model
Shop on Amazon
Psychology Textbook
Shop on Amazon
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases

Summarize youtube video with AI directly from any YouTube video page. Save Time.
Install our free Chrome extension. Get expert level summaries with one click.