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Analysis of projectile motion with quadratic air resistance from a

nonzero height using the Lambert W function
Chokri Hadj Belgacem a,b,∗
a Physics Department, Science Faculty at Yanbu, Taibah University, Saudi Arabia
b Physics Department, Science Faculty at Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia

Received 7 January 2016; received in revised form 3 February 2016; accepted 4 February 2016

Abstract
Using the Lambert W function, the quadratic resisted projectile motion with an approximation of low-angle trajectory has been
studied where the launching point is assumed to be higher than the landing point. Analytical solutions for the range and the time of
flight are presented in terms of the secondary branch of the Lambert function W−1 .
© 2016 Taibah University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Projectile motion; Quadratic air resistance; Lambert W function; Low angle trajectory; Nonzero height

1. Introduction
The quadratic air resistance projectile motion with an
approximation of low angle trajectory has been studied
previously in the case where the launching and landing
points are at the same height, and closed form solutions
for range and flight time were presented in terms of the
Lambert W function [1]. A question arises as to whether
the quadratic air resistance projectile motion where the
launching point is higher than the landing point, which
is the more realistic case in practice, can be added to
the growing list of problems that profit from using the
Lambert W function [2–7].
In the following, a situation in which the launching
point is higher than the landing point has been treated.
Additionally, in this case, the explicit solutions for the
range and flight time are expressed in terms of the sec-
ondary branch of the Lambert W function.
2. Projectile motion with quadratic air resistance
at low angle trajectory from nonzero height

Consider a projectile of mass m that is launched with

∗ Correspondence to: Physics Department, Science Faculty at Yanbu,
Taibah University, Saudi Arabia. Tel.: +966 5 32674908.
E-mail address: Chokri.hadjbelgacem@laposte.net
Peer review under responsibility of Taibah University.
an initial speed v0 from a vertical height h at an angle of
θ to the horizontal in the uniform gravitational field g.
In a quadratic restoring medium, the equations of
motion are:

dvx 1/2
m = −bvx (v2x + v2y ) (1)
dt
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.02.009
1658-3655 © 2016 Taibah University. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Please cite this article in press as: C.H. Belgacem. Analysis of projectile motion with quadratic air resistance from a nonzero
height using the Lambert W function, J. Taibah Univ. Sci. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.02.009
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dvy  1/2
m = −mg − bvy v2x + v2y (2)
dt
where b is the positive resistance constant and g is the
uniform gravitational field.
With the initial conditions of velocities:
vx0 = v0 cos θ and vy0 = v0 sin θ (3)
We obtain at low angle trajectory [8]:
vx = vx0 (1 + τvx0 )−1 (4)
  
1 + τvx0
vy = vy0 − τ (1 + τvx0 )−1 (5)
2
These equations can be solved with the following
initial conditions for the positions:
Fig. 1. Two branches of Lambert W function: W−1 (x) in blue colour
x(0) = 0 and y(0) = h (6) and W0 (x) in red.
Our proposed solutions are:
where
X = ln(1 + τux0 ) (7) R
 R = (14)
VT
τ τ2 uy0 1
Y =− − + + 2 ln(1 + τux0 ) + H Eq. (13) is simplified to
2ux0 4 ux0 2ux0

(8) AR + B + H = Be2R (15)
 
ln(AR + B + H) − 2R = ln(B) (16)
The parameters X, Y, H, τ, ux0 and uy0 used in Eqs.
(7) and (8) are defined as follows: Using the transformation R → U = AR + B + H, we
obtain the implicit equation
x y h t
X= , Y= , H= , τ= , U −B−H
VT VT VT T ln(U) − 2 = ln(B) (17)
vx0 vy0 A
ux0 = and uy0 = (9) U B+H
V V 2 − ln(U) = 2 − ln(B) (18)
where A A
 mg 1/2 V We note here that many transcendental algebraic
V = and T = (10) equations involving a logarithmic function can be solved
b g
using the Lambert W function [9], which is defined for
2.1. Range a given value z, as the function satisfying:
W(z)eW(z) = z (19)
After solving Eq. (7) for the constant τ in terms of X
and substituting into Eq. (8), the following equation of We note here that many transcendental algebraic
motion is obtained: equations involving a logarithmic function can be solved


uy0 1 1 using the Lambert W function [9], which is defined for
Y =X + 2 + 2 (1 − e2X ) + H (11) a given value x, as the function satisfying:
ux0 2ux0 4ux0
W(x)eW(x) = x (20)
For further calculations, we use the following defini-
tions where in general, x is a complex number. If x is real,

 then for −(1/e) ≤ x ≤ 0, there are two possible real val-
uy0 1 1
A= + 2 and B = 2 (12) ues of W(x), as shown in Fig. 1. The branch satisfying
ux0 2ux0 4ux0 −1 ≤ W(x) is denoted W0 (x) and is referred to as the prin-
The range, R, is the value of x when y = 0. It satisfies cipal branch in the literature [9]; the branch satisfying

W(x) ≤ −1 is denoted W−1 (x). When x is real and x ≥ 0,
0 = AR + B(1 − e2R ) + H (13) there is a single real value for W(x), which also belongs

Please cite this article in press as: C.H. Belgacem. Analysis of projectile motion with quadratic air resistance from a nonzero
height using the Lambert W function, J. Taibah Univ. Sci. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.02.009
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Table 1
Calculated range for approximation and numerical solution for a projectile of mass m = 9.8 × 10−3 kg and velocity v0 = 823 m/s, constant of gravity
g = 9.8 m s−2 , constant b = 1.04 × 10−5 kg m−1 and the height h = 100 m.
Trajectory angle (min) 5 12 16 20 26 33 49

Newton–Raphson method 1703.96 1718.41 1726.56 1734.65 1746.65 1760.46 1791.22

Range, R (m) Our approximate solution 1703.96 1718.41 1726.56 1734.65 1746.65 1760.46 1791.23
Relative error % 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 × 10−6

to the principal branch W0 (x). Both real branches W0 (x) 12

and W−1 (x), for real x are presented in Fig. 1. h=7.5m

10
Our discussion below refers closely to the proper-
h=5m
ties of this relatively “new function”. Readers unfamiliar 8
with this function can consult the work of Corless et al. 6 h=2.5m

y(m)
(1996) for more details [9].
4 h= 0m
The general procedure to solve this type of equations
is to use the approach proposed by Hadj Belgacem [1–3], 2
who predicts for a general equation:
200 400 600 800 1000 1200
CX − log(X) = D (21) x(m)

the following solution: Fig. 2. Trajectories for projectile motion at low angle trajectory of
mass m = 9.8 × 10−3 kg, velocity v0 = 823 m/s, constant of gravity
exp(−D)W(z) g = 9.8 m s−2 , constant b = 1.04 × 10−5 kg m−1 , the trajectory angle
X= with z = −C exp(−D) (22) θ = 49 min and the height (h = 0 m; 2.5 m; 5 m and 7.5 m). As the height
z
decreases, the range decreases.
Based on Eqs. (21) and (22), the solution of Eq. (18)
is: To validate our proposed solution, we compare in
W(z) Table 1, for a low angle trajectory, the calculation for
U = Be−2((B+H)/A) (23) approximate range data from Eq. (27) with the numerical
z
solution obtained using the Newton–Raphson’s method.
With Table 1 shows that the calculation data obtained
2B −(2B/A)−(2H/A) from numerical and approximation solutions are in good
z=− e (24) agreement.
A
The exact trajectories in Eq. (11) showing the range
Inserting Eq. (24) into Eq. (23) yields
  of Eq. (27) are plotted in Fig. 2, which clearly shows that
A 2B when the height is significant, the range increases with
U = − W − e−2((B+H)/A) (25)
2 A increasing height.
or
2.2. The time of flight
U B+H
R = −
A A The time of flight tf can be obtained from Eq. (7) by
 
B H 1 2B setting X = R at τ = τ f (where R = R/VT, τ f = tf /T).
=− − − W − e−(2B/A)−(2H/A) (26) From Eq. (7)
A A 2 A
1 1
The exact solution for the range after replacing A, B, τf = − + exp(R ) (28)
ux0 ux0
ux0 , uy0 and R = R VT is

m2 g 2hb2 v20 cos2 (θ)

R=− −
2b2 v20 sin(2θ) + 2bmg b2 v20 sin(2θ) + mbg

m −mg
e−(mg)/(bv0 sin(2θ)+mg)−(4hb v0 cos (θ))/(bmv0 sin(2θ)+m g)
2 2 2 2 2 2
− W (27)
2b bv20 sin(2θ) + mg

Please cite this article in press as: C.H. Belgacem. Analysis of projectile motion with quadratic air resistance from a nonzero
height using the Lambert W function, J. Taibah Univ. Sci. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.02.009
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T T R quadratic air resistance at a low angle trajectory from
tf = − + exp (29) nonzero height. Eventually, the branch of the Lambert
ux0 ux0 VT
W function must be the secondary branch.
Together with Eqs. (27), (9) and (10), this gives

 4. Conclusion
m mg
tf = exp −
bv0 cos θ 2bv20 sin(2θ) + 2mg In summary, a detailed discussion of projectile motion
 with quadratic air resistance in the approximation of a
2hb3 v20 cos2 (θ) 1 low angle trajectory where the launching point is higher
− 2 2 − W(z) − 1 (30)
b mv0 sin(2θ) + m2 bg 2 than the landing point has been presented. Analytical
solutions for the range and the time of flight are expressed
With in terms of the secondary branch of the Lambert func-
tion W−1 . Our proposed solutions of range and flight time
−mg were validated by a comparison with our solutions pre-
z= sented in a previous paper (Hadj Belgacem [1]) when the
bv20 sin(2θ) + mg
height is equal to zero. Even so, the comparison of our
× e−(mg)/(bv0 sin(2θ)+mg)−(4hb
2 2 2
v0 cos2 (θ))/(bmv20 sin(2θ)+m2 g)
proposed solution of the range with that obtained numer-
(31) ically shows an excellent agreement. As with linear and
quadratic air-resisted projectile motion, these results will
be of interest to teachers of undergraduate physics and
3. Discussion applied mathematics courses.

In the limit when h equals zero, the range R and flight References
time tf are equal to the values obtained in my previous
paper [1]. [1] C. Hadj Belgacem, Range and flight time of quadratic resisted
projectile motion using the Lambert W function, Eur. J. Phys. 35
(2014) 055025–055032.
m2 g
R(h = 0) = − [2] C. Hadj Belgacem, M. Fnaiech, Exact analytical solution for the
2b2 v20 sin(2θ) + 2bmg critical layer thickness of a lattice mismatched heteroepitaxial
  layer, J. Electron. Mater. 39 (2010) 2248–2250.
m −mg
e−(mg)/(bv0 sin(2θ)+mg)
2
− W [3] C. Hadj Belgacem, M. Fnaiech, Solution for the critical thickness
2b bv20 sin(2θ) + mg of dislocation generation in epitaxial thin films using the Lambert
(32) W function, J. Mater. Sci. 46 (2011) 1913–1915.
[4] H. Hu, Y.P. Zhao, Y.J. Guo, M.Y. Zheng, Analysis of linear resisted
m projectile motion using the Lambert W function, Acta Mech. 223
tf (h = 0) =
bv0 cos θ (2012) 441–447.
    [5] D.A. Morales, Exact expressions for the range and the optimal
mg 1
× exp − − W(z) −1 angle of a projectile with linear drag, Can. J. Phys. 83 (2005)
2bv20 sin(2θ) + 2mg 2 67–83.
(33) [6] A. Vial, Horizontal distance travelled by a mobile experiencing a
quadratic drag force: normalized distance and parameterization,
Eur. J. Phys. 28 (2007) 657–663.
With [7] R.D.H. Warburton, J. Wang, Analysis of asymptotic projectile
motion with air resistance using the Lambert W function, Am.
−mg
e−(mg)/(bv0 sin(2θ)+mg)
2
z= (34) J. Phys. 72 (2004) 1404–1407.
bv20 sin(2θ) + mg [8] G.W. Parker, Projectile motion with air resistance quadratic in the
speed, Am. J. Phys. 45 (1977) 606–610.
These results confirmed our proposed solutions for [9] R.M. Corless, G.H. Gonnet, D.E.G. Hare, D.J. Jeffrey, D.E. Kunth,
On the Lambert W function, Adv. Comp. Math. 5 (1996) 329–359.
the range and flight time for a projectile motion in the

Please cite this article in press as: C.H. Belgacem. Analysis of projectile motion with quadratic air resistance from a nonzero
height using the Lambert W function, J. Taibah Univ. Sci. (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtusci.2016.02.009