To find the angle of elevation for a projectile that reaches a target distance (range) of 20 km with an initial velocity of 500 m/s, we'll use the formula for the range of a projectile fired from a level surface. The formula is:
where:
is the range (20 km = 20,000 m), is the initial velocity (500 m/s), is the acceleration due to gravity (10 m/s²), is the angle of elevation.
Rearranging the formula to solve for
Substituting the known values into the equation:
Calculating the right-hand side:
Now we need to find
Using a calculator to find
Now, dividing by 2 to solve for
Thus, the angle of elevation