The Best Throwing Angle

Why not always 45°?

An interactive lesson with 6 steps, about 5 minutes: you predict, drag and solve, with instant feedback on every answer. It runs in your browser and needs JavaScript.

What you’ll learn

• From ground level, without air, 45° gives the longest range.
• Launching from a height lowers the best angle (about 42° for a shot put).
• Human limits push real-world angles even lower.

Steps

1. The textbook answer
2. A shot-putter’s throw
3. Long jump
4. A javelin
5. Below 45°
6. On level ground