Projectile Motion Simulator with Adjustable Gravity

You're working through a physics problem: a ball is launched at 20 m/s at a 45-degree angle. How far does it go? How high does it get? You can do the math on paper — and you should — but wouldn't it be nice to see the parabolic arc and confirm your answer visually?

Adjust and launch

The projectile motion simulator gives you sliders for launch angle, initial velocity, gravitational acceleration, and launch height. Adjust them, hit play, and watch a projectile trace its arc across an SVG canvas. The tool calculates and displays the maximum height, total range, and flight time.

For that 20 m/s at 45° example on Earth (g = 9.81 m/s²), you'd see a range of about 40.8 meters, a max height of about 10.2 meters, and a flight time of about 2.9 seconds. Move the angle slider and watch the range change — you'll quickly see that 45° really does give the maximum range when launch and landing heights are equal.

Why the gravity slider matters

The gravity dropdown isn't just a novelty. Setting it to 1.62 m/s² (the Moon) shows you how the same throw goes dramatically farther and higher in lower gravity. Setting it to 24.79 m/s² (Jupiter) shows how the projectile barely gets off the ground. It makes abstract physics tangible.

For students preparing for exams, this is a great way to build intuition. Vary one parameter at a time and observe the effect. Does doubling the velocity double the range? (No — it quadruples it, because range depends on v².) Does doubling the angle always increase the range? (Only up to 45°.)

If your problem involves constant acceleration in a straight line rather than a curved trajectory, the kinematics calculator handles SUVAT equations directly. Between the two tools, most intro-physics motion problems are covered. The projectile simulator handles 2D; the kinematics tool handles 1D.