Formula

Projectile Motion Formula

The projectile motion formula gives the height, in feet, of an object launched straight upward from ground level with an initial velocity of v0v_0 feet per second. After tt seconds, the height hh is:

h=16t2+v0th = -16t^2 + v_0 t

The term 16t2-16t^2 accounts for the downward pull of gravity (the coefficient 16-16 comes from half the acceleration due to gravity in feet per second squared), and the term v0tv_0 t represents the upward distance the object would travel at constant speed if gravity were absent. Initially the upward velocity dominates, causing the object to rise, but gravity steadily decelerates it. Eventually the object reaches a peak height and then falls back down. Setting hh equal to a specific height and solving the resulting quadratic equation determines the time(s) at which the object is at that height.

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Updated 2026-04-21

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