Projectile Motion: Finding the Optimal Launch Angle

← Back to document page

We now have a set of parametric equations for the motion of the projectile as a function of t, but to maximize the projectile’s horizontal distance, we want to find a path function, p, that defines the projectile’s height as a function of horizontal distance, x. Solving for t in (1) and substituting into (2) yields t = x vcos , and therefore

  Solving, Equations, Distance