Projectile motion diagrams, from level ground or a cliff
The Projectile Motion Generator draws a ball or dot launched to the right, from level ground at 10° to 85° or off the top of a cliff at 0° (a horizontal launch) to 85°, with the dashed path it follows until it lands. The path is the real parabola for the launch angle and cliff height, fitted to the figure, with no air resistance.
Draw the launch velocity with its angle and components, the acceleration due to gravity, and marks for the maximum height, range and cliff height. The ball can be drawn again at equal time steps along the path, lettered A, B, C…, to show it moves the same distance across in each step but not the same distance down. Hide the path for “sketch the path” questions.
What you can set
- Launched from level ground (10° to 85°) or off a cliff (0° to 85°), and how high the cliff is
- A ball, at the size you choose, or a dot
- The dashed path, shown or hidden
- The ball again at 1 to 8 equal time steps, lettered or not
- The launch velocity, its angle mark and its horizontal and vertical components, and g
- Marks for the maximum height, the range and the cliff’s height, each labeled, blank or left off
- Mirror, to launch to the left, and color for slides
Copying, printing and sharing
Copy the figure straight into a test, worksheet or slide, or download it as a PNG or SVG. Printing the page prints
just the figure. Share link copies the page’s address with your settings in it, so anyone who opens it sees this
exact figure, and presets save settings you use often in your browser. It’s free, with no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a projectile’s path a parabola?
Without air resistance, the ball moves across at a steady speed while gravity speeds it up downward at a steady rate. Its distance across grows evenly with time and its drop with time squared, which makes a parabola. The generator draws that exact curve for the launch angle and cliff height.
What do the equal time steps show?
The ball at equal times after the launch, the last where it lands. The steps are evenly spaced across, because the horizontal velocity doesn’t change, and unevenly spaced up and down, because gravity keeps changing the vertical velocity.
What launch angle gives the longest range?
On level ground, with no air resistance, 45°. Angles the same amount either side of 45°, like 30° and 60°, give the same range; the higher one goes higher and stays in the air longer.
Are the arrows drawn to scale?
No. The launch velocity, its components and g are drawn about the right size, not to scale, while the path’s shape is exact. The arrows are dashed, so they’re never taken for forces.
Can the ball be launched downward or land on a hill?
No. Launches are horizontal or upward, and the ball always lands on the level ground below its launch or at the cliff’s foot. Air resistance is left out.
Physics Figures Projectile Motion Generator