Enter the initial velocity and angle of launch into the calculator to determine the initial vertical velocity.

Initial Vertical Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Initial Vertical Velocity.

Viy = Vi * sin (a)

  • Where Viy is the initial vertical velocity (m/s)
  • Vi is the total initial velocity (m/s)
  • a is the angle of launch (degrees)

What is an Initial Vertical Velocity?

Definition:

An initial vertical velocity measures the total vertical magnitude of velocity at the instance of launch when given an initial velocity and angle.

How to Calculate Initial Vertical Velocity?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Initial Vertical Velocity.

First, determine the total initial velocity. In this example, the total initial velocity is found to be 500 m/s.

Next, determine the angle of launch (degrees). For this problem, the angle is found to be 75 degrees.

Finally, calculate the Initial Vertical Velocity using the formula above:

Viy = Vi * sin (a)

Viy = 500* sin (75deg)

Viy = 482.96 m/s