Parabolic Motion



Introcuction by a game
Chose the option Archer on the window below.
A Monkey let a ball go and it fell. At the same time, an archer aimed the ball and shot.
Find the correct angle(α) and height (h) for the ball to be speared.
                                                                                                                    External link for similar game


Maybe you found the following couple of values: Angle = 0 and height = 2m. You can check by putting a pencil on the screen, for h = 2m the ball and the arrow have the same initial height.

That means :if we shoot a projectile horizontally on a target, the initial height of the target and the projectile being the same,
and if the target starts falling down at the same time the projectile would be shot, then the projectile should reach the target.

The goal of this proctical work is to verify it experimentally.
Our variant will be to use the monkey as the target itself, but of course ... it will bot be a real animal :)

The material is:

1) An electromagnet ( shown on the picture below)
2) A laser( for adjusting the position, as shown on the picture )
3) A toy-Monkey ( target )
4) A ping-pong ball ( projectile diameter=39mm )
5) A spring-cannon for the projectile
6) A photogate connected to a computer ( via an interface )
7) A ruler
8) A table and some statiff...

        
 


Equations




Results

1) June 2010 (IB1)

(PDF)


2) December 2008




3) Monday 8 December 2008

  2A)
        Gate state=0   time=14.6269 s.
        Gate state=1   time=14.6347 s.


  2B)
        Gate state=0   time=2.353605 s.
        Gate state=1   time=2.360984 s.


   Horizontal distance 180 cm or rather 187 cm (?).

                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------                      back

4) Friday 9 January 2009


to be completed


5) Monday 12 January 2009

        Gate state=0   time=1.093383 s.
        Gate state=1   time=1.093984 s.


The ball and the monkey have met at hight between 155 and 175 cm.