Projectile Motion (PASCO Projectile Launcher Experiment 1) Lab report

Projectile Motion (PASCO Projectile Launcher Experiment 1) Lab report

Introduction

The purpose of this experiment is to forecast and determine the range of a ball launched at a particular angle. The starting velocity of the ball is indicated by launching it horizontally and computing the range and the elevation of the launcher.

Required Materials

1. White paper
2. Projectile Launcher
3. Metal ball
4. Plumb bob
5. Metal stick
6. Meter stick
7. Carbon paper

Theory

To determine the landing area of the ball when it is shot off a table at a particular angle directly above the horizontal, it is crucial to determine the initial velocity of the ball. The initial speed can be measured by launching the ball horizontally off the table and talking about the measurements of the horizontal and vertical distances traveled by the ball. The initial speed can be used to estimate the area where the ball will fall if it is shot at an angle.

Horizontal initial velocity

For a ball launched horizontally off a table with a starting speed of V₀, the horizontal distance traveled by the ball is given by x=v₀t. In this case, t represents the time the ball spent in the air, and air friction is assumed to be insignificant. The vertical distance the ball drops in time can be calculated by y= gt².

The initial speed of the ball can be determined by calculating x and y. The time the ball spent in the air can be calculated using the following formula.  and the initial velocity can be computed using v₀ = .

Initial velocity at an angle

To determine the range, x of the metal ball launched with an initial velocity at an angle, 0, above the horizontal. It is important to predict the time the ball spent in the air using the equation of the vertical motion. Y= y₀ + (v₀ SinӨ) t ˗ gt². In this formula, y₀ is the original height of the ball, and y is the position of the ball when it reaches the floor. The found can be calculated using this formula. X= (v₀ CosӨ) t.

Experiment setup

1. Lock the projectile Launcher to a study table near one end of the table.
2. Correct the angle of the projectile Launcher to zero degrees so that the ball can be horizontally aligned.

Experiment procedure

Part A: Determining the initial Velocity of the Ball

1. Put the plastic ball into the Projectile Launcher and incline it to the long-range position. Launch to determine the area where the ball will hit the floor. At this position, stick a piece of white paper on the floor, then place a piece of carbon paper on top of this paper and stick it on the floor. The ball will leave a mark on the white paper when it hits the floor.
2. Launch about ten times

• Calculate and record the vertical distance from the bottom of the ball as it leaves the barrel towards the floor.

1. The point on the floor directly below the launching point on the barrel can be determined using a plumb bob. Calculate the horizontal distance along the floor from the point of release to the landing area on the paper.
2. Measure from the landing edge of the paper to the ten dots and document these distances.
3. Calculate the average of all the ten distances and indicate them on table 1.1

• Using the vertical distances and the average horizontal distance, calculate the time the ball spent in the air and the velocity of the ball.

Part B: predicting the range of the ball shot at an angle

1. Correct the angle of the Projectile Launcher to an angle between 30 and 60 degrees and document this angle in table 1.2.
2. By considering the initial velocity and the vertical distance indicated in the first part of the experiment, assume that the ball is less off at the new angle selected and calculate the new time the ball spent on the air.

• Draw a line crossing the middle of the white pieces of paper and stick the paper on the floor so that the line may be at the assumed horizontal distances from the Projectile Launcher.

1. Launch the ball ten times
2. Measure the ten distances and calculate the average.

Results

Table 1.1 Determining the initial Velocity

Table 1.3 Confirming the predicted Range

Conclusion

In conclusion, this experiment enabled us to examine projectile motion by determining the initial velocity of the ball launched from the projectile and finally predict the time the ball spent in the air. The air friction was considered insignificant. The projectile motion equations were used to predict the range of the projectile motion lab. The calculated initial height and velocity were used in the equation converted into the predicted range equation. Even though the percentage differences were high, this experiment met its purpose by providing me with an opportunity to investigate projectile motion.