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In ballistic flight, which force is assumed to be the only one acting on the object?

Weight, the pull of gravity. There is no engine thrust.

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  1. Thrust
  2. Lift
  3. Weight ✔

Why: Ballistic flight is coasting with no engine pushing, like a thrown ball or a rocket after burnout. In the simple model, only gravity acts, so the object follows a curved arc up and back down.

Huh, didn't know that: In real life, air drag also slows a ballistic object, which shortens its arc.

The dad joke
My baseball went ballistic. It just could not handle the pressure of being thrown.
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References

Answer: Weight. Ballistic flight is coasting with no engine pushing, like a thrown ball or a rocket after burnout. In the simple model, only gravity acts, so the object follows a curved arc up and back down.

  1. NASA Glenn, Flight Equations with Drag www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/flight-equations-with-drag
    This type of flight is called ballistic flight and assumes that weight is the only force acting on the ball.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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