What is the vertical acceleration experienced by a projectile?

A projectile experiences constant acceleration due to gravity during its flight, regardless of its velocity or direction of motion. This acceleration, denoted as 'g', has a typical value of approximately (9.81 , \text{m/s}^2) near the surface of the Earth. It acts downward towards the center of the Earth and determines how quickly a projectile speeds up on its way down or slows down as it rises.

The concept of constant acceleration means that the rate of change of velocity remains uniform throughout the projectile's motion, specifically in the vertical direction. While the horizontal motion of the projectile may have varying speed due to air resistance, which is not accounted for in ideal projectile motion, the vertical component is solely affected by gravity and remains constant throughout the trajectory.

Understanding that the vertical acceleration does not change with altitude is crucial. Even as a projectile reaches higher elevations, the acceleration due to gravity remains relatively constant until significantly high altitudes are reached, which is typically beyond the range of standard projectile motion questions. Therefore, the vertical acceleration experienced by a projectile is consistently characterized as constant acceleration due to gravity.