7.4k views
4 votes
What is the vertical component of the velocity when a projectile object has reached maximum height?

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The vertical component of the velocity of a projectile at maximum height is zero. This instant occurs when the projectile's ascent is momentarily halted before descending. The maximum height depends solely on the initial vertical velocity component.

Step-by-step explanation:

The vertical component of the velocity when a projectile object has reached maximum height is zero. At this point in its trajectory, the projectile has no vertical motion, having momentarily come to a stop before it begins to fall back down due to gravity.

The formula v² = v²0 − 2g(y − y0) is used for calculating the maximum height (‘y’) of a projectile where the initial vertical velocity (‘v0’) is squared and gravity (‘g’) acts in the negative direction because it is accelerating the projectile downward. The maximum height is dependent only on the vertical component of the initial velocity, which can be observed in various practical scenarios like fireworks displays.

The vertical component of the velocity when a projectile object has reached maximum height is 0 m/s. This is because at maximum height, the object momentarily stops moving upwards before it starts to fall back down due to gravity. As a result, the vertical velocity component becomes zero.

User TheCyberliem
by
8.1k points