An article titled “Some Real Analysis behind Optimization of Projectile Motion” by Robert Kantrowitz ’82, professor and chair of mathematics, appears in the November issue of Mediterranean Journal of Mathematics (MedJM).
Kantrowitz and co-author Michael M. Neumann of Mississippi State University address the problem of maximizing the lateral displacement of a projectile that is launched from atop a tower to a surface that is represented by a continuous function whose intersection with every flight path is a single point. In this general setting, tools from real analysis are accessed to gain information about the shape of the graph and the maximum of the distance function.
