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What is the path of a projectile (in the absence of air resistance)?
- A A wavy line
- B Projectiles do not follow a predictable path.
- C A hyperbola
- D A parabola
That's Correct!
It's Wrong!
In the absence of air resistance, a projectile follows a parabolic path. This is due to the influence of gravity acting downward while the projectile moves forward. The horizontal motion is uniform, meaning the horizontal velocity remains constant, while the vertical motion is uniformly accelerated, meaning the vertical velocity changes at a constant rate due to gravity. The combination of these motions results in a curved, parabolic trajectory, described mathematically by a quadratic equation. This predictable path is a key concept in physics, particularly in the study of projectile motion.