Projectile Launcher Lab

Research Questions:
1. Develop a theoretical model for predicting the velocity of the spring as
it leaves the launcher when the spring is fired straight up into the air.
2. Develop a theoretical model for predicting the landing position of the
spring when the launcher is set on a stool and tipped at an angle.
Pictorial Representation of the problem.
Insert picture of cannon firing a ball straight up into the air. x0 is the balls
position as it just leaves the cannon. xf is when the ball reaches its highest
point. v0 = ? is written next to x0 and is one of the unknowns that were
trying to find. vf = 0 m/s is written next to xf. There are short horizontal dash
marks next to xi and xf, and a line connected them. h is marked next to the
line, representing the height the ball travels when shot up. a = -9.8 m/s2 is
written next to the h, representing acceleration due to gravity. t = ? is written
under a; it is another variable that we will find.
xi, xf, h, are left without any other numbers or ? because they arent
necessary to find to answer our research question.
Insert picture of cannon firing a ball at an angle in an arc towards a
cylindrical target. The arc is marked between the cannon and the horizontal
with a . xi and xf are marked next to the balls initial position, and the ball
being at the target, respectively. v0 is marked as an arrow pointing in the
direction the cannon is facing. v0 is broken into its x and y components, v0x
and v0y. Height is marked to the left of the cannon as the vertical distance
between xi and xf with an h = ?. Distance is marked under the ground as
the horizontal distance between xi and xf with a d = ?. t = ? and a = -9.8 m/s2
are also placed somewhere.
Prediction:
Insert random theoretical prediction without the use of any data.
Procedure:
1. Launch the metal ball straight up, perpendicular to the ground.
2. Measure the difference in time between when the ball is at the position
where initial velocity is taken, and when the ball falls back to that
height.

3. Calculate the time it took for the ball to reach its highest point. (Half
the time it took for the ball to go up and come back to its original
height.)
4. Find initial velocity (v0) using v0 + at = vf where a is -9.8 m/s2, t is the
time it took to go from the initial velocity position to the point where it
changes direction from up to down (found in 3.), and vf is equal to zero
(because at the highest point, the y component of the balls motion will
be equal to zero since it is reversing direction.)
5. Be given an angle.
6. Angle the launcher, and measure the height from the ground to the
new initial velocity position.
7. Measure the height of the target (The target will most likely be above
the ground, so the ball will have to go shorter than if it was allowed to
travel the full distance to the ground, its trajectory is cut short).
8. Calculate the vertical component (v0y) of the initial velocity (v0). v0y =
v0 *sin , where the v0 is from (4.), and the angle was given in (5.)
9. Calculate the horizontal component (v0x) of the initial velocity (v0). v0x
= v0 *cos , where the v0 is from (4.), and the angle was given in (5.)
10.
Calculate the time that the ball will remain in the air after launch
using v0y(t) a(t)2 = h
, where v0y was found in (8.), a is -9.8 m/s2, and h is the height of the
target found in (7.) After using the quadratic formula, there will be 2
possible time values. Use the positive one.
11.
Calculate the distance (d) the ball will travel from the launch to
the target using v0x * t = d, where v0x was found in (9.), t is the time the
ball will take between the launch and the target (found in 10.).
12.
Test the distance found in (11.)
Data
Time for ball to go up and back down: 1.01s
Time for ball to reach max height: 0.505s
Height of cannon at angle, above the ground: 1.099 m
Height of can: 0.149 m
Difference in height of can and height of ball: 0.95 m
Calculations:
See written.

Revision:
We attempted to revise our experiment by finding the maximum height that
the ball reached and by using that to find the initial velocity, instead of by
using time. We measured the height by taking a video of the ball going into
the air, as we held a meter stick behind it, and the taking the height from the
video. However, by using that height in our calculations to find initial
velocity, and then the distance, we found a distance far from what we knew
the distance should be from testing.
How close?
When testing, the ball hit the can, so we were less than 14 cm farther than
we should have been.
Conclusions
1) Research Questions:
a) Develop a theoretical model for predicting the velocity of the spring as
it leaves the launcher when the spring is fired straight up into the air.
b) Develop a theoretical model for predicting the landing position of the
spring when the launcher is set on a stool and tipped at an angle.
2) Theoretical Prediction
a) v0 = vf at
b) v0y = v0 *sin
c) v0y(t) a(t)2 = h
i) Find t with quadratic formula
d) v0x = v0 *cos
e) d = v0 * cos * t
3)
a)