A projectile is projected with speed 20 m/s at an angle 60° above the horizontal. Take g = 10 m/s². If the radius of curvature at the highest point is N m, find N.

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G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

At the highest point, the vertical component of velocity becomes zero, so the speed is purely horizontal: v = u cos60° = 20×(1/2) = 10 m/s. Gravity acts vertically downward and is therefore completely normal to the horizontal velocity at this instant. Hence aₙ = g = 10 m/s². Radius of curvature R = v²/aₙ = 10²/10 = 10 m. Therefore N = 10.