Projectile Motion Experiments
This set of projectile motion experiments can be performed with the equipment included in the Projectile Motion Kit (ME-1262).
Grade Level: College • High School
Subject: Physics
Activities
01) Projectile Motion - Wireless
This experiment is in four parts: 1. Muzzle Velocity, Time of Flight, and Range 2. Launching at Different Angles on a Plane 3. Predicting the Range of a Ball Launched at an Angle from a Height 4. Challenge Activity – Maximum Height of a Projectile on a Wall
02) Projectile Motion
Use photogates to measure time of flight and the initial launch velocity of the ball and predict the range fired at an angle off the table onto the floor. Also, find the maximum range as a function of angle.
03) Projectile Range vs. Launch Angle
Students use a Mini Launcher to measure the range of a projectile on a horizontal surface for various angles. The average range is calculated for each angle, and average range vs. angle is graphed. A user-defined curve fit is used to predict the maximum range and the angle at which it should occurs. These values are then tested with a final launch.
04) Path of a Projectile
The purpose of this experiment is to determine how the vertical distance a projectile drops is related to the horizontal distance the projectile travels when the projectile is launched horizontally.
05) Conservation of Momentum in Two Dimensions
In this experiment a ball hits another ball at a glancing angle and students confirm that momentum is conserved for elastic and inelastic collisions in two dimensions.
06) Conservation of Energy of a Ball Shot Straight Up
The purpose of this experiment is to confirm that the initial kinetic energy of a projectile shot straight up is transformed into an equal amount of gravitational potential energy.
07) Projectile against Wall
A ball is fired towards a wall at a fixed distance away. At what angle should the ball be launched so that it hits the wall at the highest location?
08) Horizontal Speed of a Projectile
The purpose of this lab is to determine whether the horizontal velocity of a projectile is constant throughout its flight.
09) Horizontal Distance of a Projectile
The purpose of this experiment is to use the initial speed and the time of flight to predict the horizontal distance traveled by a ball shot from a table at an angle.
10) Time of Flight Versus Initial Speed
The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether time of flight of a ball launched horizontally off a table remains constant as the initial launch speed is changed.
