Ballistic trajectory

A ballistic trajectory is the path followed by a projectile after launch, shaped by gravity and any other forces acting on it, such as aerodynamic drag.

Projectile motion: The motion of an object launched into the air and acted on by external forces, especially gravity. Ballistic trajectory is the path traced by projectile motion.
Initial conditions: The values of a system’s variables at the start of a mathematical or physical model. A projectile’s launch position and velocity set its subsequent path.
Ballistics: The study of the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets and shells. Ballistic trajectory is a central quantity analyzed in this broader field.
Parabolic trajectory: A projectile path shaped as a parabola when gravity is uniform and air resistance is neglected. It is the ideal vacuum, constant-gravity case, not a general real-world trajectory.
Newton's laws of motion: Three laws relating an object's motion to the forces acting on it. They describe how gravitational and aerodynamic forces change a projectile’s velocity.
Velocity: The rate and direction of change of an object's position over time. Its horizontal and vertical components determine the projectile’s motion at launch.
External ballistics: The study of a projectile’s flight from the end of its launch phase to impact. It models trajectories after a projectile leaves a firearm or launcher.
Keplerian orbit: An orbit governed solely by Newtonian gravity and described by a conic section. A ballistic path may be gravitational, but usually intersects a surface instead of remaining in orbit.
Gravitational acceleration: The acceleration produced by gravity near a massive body, approximately constant near Earth's surface. Its downward pull bends an ideal projectile’s path into a parabola.
Acceleration: The rate at which an object's velocity changes over time. Trajectory curvature follows from the acceleration acting during flight.

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