Activity 4: Curve me on an incline

Objective:
Capture a full trajectory of projectile motion on an inclined surface.

Materials Needed:
Marble or jackstone, fine powder (e.g. face powder, cassava starch), ¼ illustration board,
half-protractor template, stack of books, retractable ball pen as launcher, 2 popsicle sticks
masking tape, stop watch, sticky tape

Procedure:

A. Tracing the Trajectory

1. Attach the popsicle sticks to the retractable pen to make a marble launcher. These will serve as the
launching pad for the marble. Refer to Figure 4 below.

Figure 4. Retractable pen attached with popsicle launching pad

2. On the board select and draw a fix origin, x-axis and y-axis. From the origin, draw on the board
selected angled lines (15, 30, 45, 60, 75) if the printed protractor template is not available (see
Figure 5). Position also 2 sheets of 1-cm interval grid similar to the set-up shown below. Elevate one
end of the board using books with an angle of inclination of about 40.

Figure 5. Set up for projectile motion on an inclined plane

3. Set the powder-coated object on the launch pad at point A. Carefully launch the marble using the
retractable pen.
4. Trace the trajectory with pencil. Label this grid as ‘horizontally-launched’, and set aside for later
analysis.
5. Set the powder-coated object on the launch pad at point B. Position the launching pad at the origin.
Carefully launch the marble at 15 using the retractable pen.

6. Trace the trajectory with pencil. Label this grid as ‘launched at 15 angle.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for the other selected angles (30, 45, 60, and 75).

Q1. Describe the trajectory for horizontally-fired projectiles along an incline. Sketch the trajectory.

Q2. Describe the shape of the trajectory for projectiles fired at angles along an incline. Sketch the
trajectory.

Q3. Compare the locations of the trajectory peaks in terms of maximum height reached.

Q4. Compare the horizontal distances (range) reached when they return to the elevation from which
they were projected.

Q5. Among the trajectories of projectiles fired at angles, for the same launching velocity, which
covered the greatest range (horizontal distance in the x-axis)?

Q6. Among the trajectories of projectiles fired at angles, for the same launching speed, which
recorded the highest peak?

Q7. Which pairs of trajectories have ranges that are almost equal?

B. Recording the Hang Time

8. Launch the marble at different angles on the inclined board. Record the hang time of the marble from
release until it hits the floor. Complete the table below.

Safety check
- Ensure that the trajectories are free from obstructions.

Table 6. Hang time of the marble launched at different angles

Angle of Launch, Hang Time, time (s) Average Time,
 (deg) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 tave (s)
15
30
45
60
75

Q8. At which angle is the hang time longest? shortest?