User's Manual

012-05479B Mini Launcher
19
®
Experiment 4: Projectile Path
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
– Mini Launcher and steel ball – Measuring tape or meter stick
– Carbon paper – White paper
– Movable vertical target board (Must reach from floor to muzzle)
– Graph paper
Purpose
The purpose of this experiment is to find how the vertical distance the ball drops is related to the horizon-
tal distance the ball travels when launched horizontally from a table.
Theory
The range is the horizontal distance, x, between the muzzle of the Launcher and the place where the ball
hits, given by x = v
0
t, where v
0
is the initial speed of the ball as it leaves the muzzle and t is the time of
flight.
If the ball is shot horizontally, the time of flight of the ball will be
t =
x
v
0
The vertical distance, y, that the ball falls in time t is given by
y =
1
2
gt
2
where g is the acceleration due to gravity.
Substituting for t into the equation for y gives
y =
g
2v
0
2
x
2
A plot of y versus x
2
will give a straight line with a slope equal to
g
2v
0
2
.
Setup
➀ Clamp the Mini Launcher near
one end of a sturdy table with
the Launcher aimed away from
the table.
➁ Adjust the angle of the Mini
Launcher to zero degrees so the
ball will be launched horizon-
tally.
➂ Fire a test shot on the long
range setting to determine the
initial position of the vertical
target. Place the target so the
ball hits it near the bottom. See
Figure 4.1.
➃ Cover the target board with
white paper. Tape carbon paper
9
0
8
0
7
0
6
0
5
0
4
0
30
2
0
10
0
1
0
2
0
30
4
0
M
IN
I
L
A
U
N
C
H
E
R
M
E
-
6
8
2
5
CA
UTIO
N!
W
E
A
R
S
A
F
E
T
Y
G
L
A
S
S
E
S
W
H
E
N
I
N
U
S
E
.
D
O
N
'T
P
U
S
H
P
I
S
T
O
N
W
I
T
H
F
IN
G
E
R
!
y
x
Figure 4.1: Setup