Home Physics Motion in a Plane Radius of Curvature A ball is projected with initial speed u and…
Physics Motion in a Plane Radius of Curvature Subjective Type
Published on: September 11, 2026

A ball is projected with initial speed u and making an angle with the vertical. Consider a small part of the trajectory near the highest position and take it approximately to be a circular arc. What is the radius of this circle? This radius is called the radius of curvature of the curve at the point.

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The correct answer is:
A
Step 1: At the top of the trajectory of the projectile, the vertical component of velocity is zero. The only component of velocity at this point is horizontal.
Step 2: The centripetal acceleration at the highest point can be expressed in terms of the radius of curvature (R) and the horizontal velocity (v): \[ a_c = \frac{v^2}{R} \]
Step 3: The horizontal velocity can be expressed as: \[ v = u \cos(\theta) \]
Step 4: The gravitational acceleration is acting downward, which provides the centripetal acceleration needed for circular motion: \[ g = \frac{v^2}{R} \]
Combining the equations gives: \[ R = \frac{v^2}{g} = \frac{(u \cos(\theta))^2}{g} = \frac{u^2 \cos^2(\theta)}{g} \]
Therefore, the radius of curvature at the highest point of the trajectory is \( \frac{u^2 \cos^2(\theta)}{g} \).
Thus, the answer is A.

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