Why does a higher throw not go further?
31 October 2026 · Taz Team
Most people, adults included, guess that throwing higher means throwing further. Then they find that a 30 degree throw and a 60 degree throw at the same speed land at the same spot, if you ignore air and launch from ground level.
That feels wrong, so it is worth working out why.
A throw is really two motions
Split the ball's speed into two parts. The upward part decides how long the ball stays in the air. The forward part decides how far it travels during that time. Distance is simply forward speed multiplied by time in the air.
Now the trade is clear. Aim higher and you gain air time but lose forward speed. Aim lower and you gain forward speed but lose air time. The two parts are stuck sharing the same throw.
Why 45 degrees wins, and why 30 and 60 tie
With no air and level ground, the best trade comes at 45 degrees, where both parts are equal. Angles the same distance either side of 45 give the same range: 30 and 60, or 20 and 70. The steep throw goes up longer, the shallow one moves forward faster, and they cancel exactly.
| Angle | Range compared with 45 degrees |
|---|---|
| 15 or 75 | 50% |
| 30 or 60 | about 87% |
| 45 | 100% |
Real life spoils it, usefully
Air drag punishes the high, slow flight, so real throws often do best below 45 degrees. Athletes release a shot put lower still, partly because they let go above the ground. A good student's next question is exactly this: what did the simple model leave out?
Test it yourself
Use a soft ball, a marked patio or corridor, and a steady launcher such as a rubber band on a ruler. Launch ten times at each angle and take the average, since one throw proves nothing. Keep it safe: soft ball, no people in the path.
Or change the angle and speed in Taz's projectile motion lab, where you can run many launches quickly with no air to worry about, then compare with your real throws. The gap between them is the interesting part.