What angle to the horizontal will produce the greatest range?

Question

this is a projectile motion question

Answer 1

In a gravitational field without air it would be 45 degrees.

With still air it will be less.

But if the air is moving  - if there is wind - then it can end up at almost anything from, to exaggerate -  0 to 90 degrees.

To use extreme situations to get a sense of it, if the wind is moving with the bullet and faster than the bullet, then nearly 90 degrees would give the most range: the wind would give it its horizontal direction and the speed and direction of the bullet would simply keep it in the air as long as possible. If the wind was moving faster than the bullet in the opposite direction, then firing at just over 0 degrees, at only infinitesimally  above the horizontal would give the greatest range, which would be close to zero distance. Otherwise it would end up traveling backwards.

funny business, eh?

Answer 2

45 degrees.  This will cause to projectile to remain up in the air the maximum time while traveling horizontally at a fixed optimum horizontal velocity.

Answer 3

In a vacuum, 45º.

In the real world, depending on air resistance, about 30-35º.