why do ballistic trajectories have such a distinctive arc?

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what i mean is that when say, an artillery shell is fired, or a piece of debris from an explosion is launched, it goes up and away at an almost 45 degree angle until its upwards momentum is no longer sufficient to fight gravity before dropping pretty much straight down. second, given the angle of impact on the ground, could you calculate backwards from there the initial velocity and launch site of the projectile?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Because the formula for position of an object with acceleration and velocity has an x^2 term in it. Squares form parabolas when graphed.

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