Question

The launch speed of a projectile is three times the speed it has at its maximum height.what is the elevation angle at launch?

Answer 1

Given: a projectile of initial launch velocity(V) and launch angle ∅ and no air resistance. At the maximum height, the projectile would have a zero contribution of speed from the vertical component(Vy) Therefore, if we say Vx=Vcos∅ is the only speed the projectile has at the instant of maximum height then we can replace Vx with 1/5V and write 1/5V=Vcos∅. Solving for the the launch angle ∅, gives Inverse Cos(1/5)=78.5 degrees.