Final answer:
In the absence of air resistance, a projectile follows a curved path known as its trajectory, which is a result of two-dimensional projectile motion influenced only by gravity. The initial horizontal velocity remains constant while the vertical velocity is affected by gravity, creating a parabolic path.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the absence of air resistance, a projectile, when launched, will follow a curved path. This curved path is a result of the acceleration due to gravity acting on the projectile in the vertical direction while the initial horizontal velocity of the projectile remains constant. Therefore, the correct answer to what happens to a projectile when it is launched in the absence of air resistance is that it follows a curved path, known as its trajectory.
The motion experienced is two-dimensional projectile motion, which involves both vertical and horizontal components. As it moves through the air, its horizontal velocity does not change because there are no forces acting in the horizontal direction (if we neglect air resistance). However, its vertical velocity is affected by gravity, increasing in downward magnitude as the projectile ascends and descends.
This creates a parabolic path if we graph the vertical position against the horizontal position over time, resulting in what is typically characterized as a projectile motion trajectory. It is important to note that air resistance can alter this path significantly if it were to be taken into account, but in our idealized case, it is ignored, simplifying the system to only include the effect of gravity.