Estimate how far a projectile travels
Launch speed and angle in — range, flight time and peak height out. The classic physics problem, minus the algebra.
Tools used in this guide
The job
A ball kicked at 20 m/s and 45°: how far, how high, how long in the air? Under the flat-ground, no-drag model the answers come from three formulas — the tool applies them.
Speed, angle, launch height
Enter initial speed and angle; set the launch height if it isn't the ground (e.g. thrown from a 2 m hand). Gravity defaults to Earth — the Moon's 1.62 m/s² shows how much drag-free range changes.
- 20 m/s at 45° from ground: ≈40.8 m range, ≈10.2 m peak, ≈2.9 s flight.
- Maximum range sits near 45° on flat ground — lower when launching from height.
Reality check
No air resistance means the result is an upper bound. Real balls fly shorter — a golf drive's idealised range is far beyond its actual carry. Use it for physics problems and order-of-magnitude estimates, not for safety margins.