EXPERIMENT 6.2

PROJECTILE MOTION SIMULATION

Student Information:

Name:

Email:

Teacher's Email:

PURPOSE:

To investigate how initial velocity and launch angle affect the trajectory of a projectile, and to understand the relationship between horizontal and vertical components of motion.

BACKGROUND:

Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an object is thrown, kicked, or otherwise launched near the Earth's surface and moves along a curved path under the influence of gravity only. The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.

The key characteristics of projectile motion are:

The horizontal component of velocity remains constant (ignoring air resistance)
The vertical component of velocity changes due to gravity
The resulting path is a parabola

The equations that govern projectile motion are:

Horizontal position: x = (v₀ × cos θ) × t

Vertical position: y = (v₀ × sin θ) × t - (1/2) × g × t²

Time of flight: t_flight = (2 × v₀ × sin θ) / g

Maximum height: h_max = (v₀ × sin θ)² / (2 × g)

Range: R = (v₀² × sin(2θ)) / g

Where:

v₀ = initial velocity
θ = launch angle
g = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²)
t = time

INTERACTIVE SIMULATION:

Use the controls below to adjust the initial velocity and launch angle of the projectile. Click "Launch" to see the trajectory.

Initial Velocity (m/s):

1 50

Launch Angle (degrees):

0° 90°

Maximum Height:

0 m

Range:

0 m

Time of Flight:

0 s

Scale:

1 pixel = 0.1 meters

EXPERIMENT QUESTIONS:

Use the simulation to answer the following questions:

1. What launch angle gives the maximum range for a projectile?

2. How does doubling the initial velocity affect the maximum height and range?

3. For a fixed initial velocity, what happens to the time of flight as you increase the launch angle from 0° to 90°?

4. Why do two different launch angles sometimes give the same range?

5. How would air resistance affect the trajectory of the projectile in a real-world scenario?

DATA COLLECTION:

Record your observations for different combinations of initial velocity and launch angle:

Trial	Initial Velocity (m/s)	Launch Angle (degrees)	Maximum Height (m)	Range (m)	Time of Flight (s)
1
2
3
4
5

CONCLUSION:

Based on your observations and data collection, summarize what you've learned about projectile motion and how initial velocity and launch angle affect the trajectory.

SUBMIT YOUR RESULTS:

Click the button below to submit your experiment results to your teacher.