An analytic solution of projectile motion with the quadratic resistance law using the homotopy analysis method

Abstract

We consider the problem of two-dimensional projectile motion in which the resistance acting on an object moving in air is proportional to the square of the velocity of the object (quadratic resistance law). It is well known that the quadratic resistance law is valid in the range of the Reynolds number: 1 × 103 ~ 2 × 105 (for instance, a sphere) for practical situations, such as throwing a ball. It has been considered that the equations of motion of this case are unsolvable for a general projectile angle, although some solutions have been obtained for a small projectile angle using perturbation techniques. To obtain a general analytic solution, we apply Liao's homotopy analysis method to this problem. The homotopy analysis method, which is different from a perturbation technique, can be applied to a problem which does not include small parameters. We apply the homotopy analysis method for not only governing differential equations, but also an algebraic equation of a velocity vector to extend the radius of convergence. Ultimately, we obtain the analytic solution to this problem and investigate the validation of the solution.