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ballistic trajectory

ballistic trajectory

7.5
A curved path an object follows through the air after it is fired, like a bullet or shell
  • noun
  • /bəˈlɪstɪk trəˈdʒɛktəri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : trayectoria balística
  • It is more effective and cheaper to drop them below sub-orbital and give them a big push downward, avoiding ballistic trajectories.

And Schwarzschild, because he was good at math, was given the task of calculating ballistic trajectories for the Germans fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front.

Examples

  • And Schwarzschild, because he was good at math, was given the task of calculating ballistic trajectories for the Germans fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front.

  • A ballistic trajectory was simply too slow on a tiny ice moon like this.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Our ballistic trajectory had already arced over enough that we were pointed at the surface again.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • She was on a ballistic trajectory created by a momentary acceleration as she'd gone through the hole.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Because its speed greatly exceeds the escape velocity, the newly formed neutral particle escapes Jupiter on a ballistic trajectory like a stone hurled from a sling.

    Academic text (2000)
  • The rocket followed a ballistic trajectory after it was launched, soaring gracefully through the atmosphere.

  • Astronauts must understand the physics of a ballistic trajectory to ensure a successful return to Earth.

  • The object's ballistic trajectory was calculated to ensure it landed safely in the designated area.

Synonyms

trajectory
vsballistic trajectory
  • Specialized
141 7.0

A curved path a moving object like a ball or rocket follows through the sky

is specifically the path of a launched object under gravity and air resistance
flight path
vsballistic trajectory
  • Specialized
19 3.9

The route a plane or rocket follows through the sky

describes unpowered free motion under gravity and air resistance not a planned route
line of flight
vsballistic trajectory
  • Specialized
1 7.0

The path something moves along through the air

is about free motion after launch affected by gravity and air resistance

How Curved

ballistic trajectory
  • Specialized
7.5
geodesic
  • Specialized
1 9.2
straight line
49 1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

ballistic + trajectory

The meaning is directly compositional: 'ballistic' (relating to motion of a projectile under momentum/gravity) combined with 'trajectory' (path) yields 'the path of a projectile', so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the phrase. This construction is a straightforward technical combination found across languages, so despite being somewhat technical, its sense is immediately predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Ballistic trajectory comes from the simple image of a thrown ball following a curved path in the air. The trajectory is that arc, so the phrase means the curved path an object takes when it is 'launched' and then moves under gravity.