Horizontal Projectile Lab

Purpose:
To determine the relationship between initial velocity and range for a horizontally-launched projectile.

Discussion:
If you know the height of a table, you can calculate the time required for a ball to fall from the table to the
floor. If you know the velocity of the ball as it leaves the table, you can calculate the distance from the
table at which the ball will hit the floor. You can find the velocity of the ball if you know the time it takes
to roll a measured distance on the table.

In this lab, you will measure the initial velocity of a projectile and the vertical distance that it will fall.
From this, you can calculate the distance from the
table (the range, R) that the projectile will land.

It is easy to record the location where the

projectile lands on the floor by placing a piece of
carbon paper over a piece of scrap paper taped to
the floor. The projectile will leave a mark on the
paper where it hits. You can measure the
horizontal range of the projectile and compare this
to the calculated distance.

Equipment: 
small sphere, meter stick, stop watch, string, plastic ruler or book, tape, small weight, calculator

carbon paper

Procedure: 
1. Devise a "launcher" for the ball from a ruler or book - anything with a smooth groove in it that the
ball can roll down. Find a starting point on the launcher that gives the ball a reasonable velocity.
2. Place 2 pieces of tape 30-50 cm apart on the lab table in the path of the ball. This is distance "d" in
the diagram above. Record this distance. The distance that you use needs to be a compromise:
o If the distance is too short, you will not be able to get an accurate time for the ball to cover
the distance, and your velocity will not be accurate.
o If the distance is too long, friction will slow the ball appreciably by the time it reaches the
edge of the table, and your calculated speed will not be the actual speed that the ball has
when it leaves the table.
3. Carefully measure the vertical distance from the top of the lab table to the floor. This is "h" in the
diagram above. Record this distance.
 4. From a trial run, find the approximate position where the projectile hits the floor. Tape a piece of
scrap paper at this location, and put a piece of carbon paper face down over it to mark the landing
spot of the projectile.
5. Launch the projectile several times.

a. For each launch, measure the time it takes the ball to roll the measured horizontal distance
on the table, and record the rolling times (troll) in a data table. Pay attention to units!
b. You should get a group of reasonably-close-together spots on the "target" paper. If the
spots are wildly far apart, you need to adjust your launcher or launching technique to get
more consistency.
2. Locate the point on the floor directly below the edge of the table top where the ball leaves the
table. You can do this accurately by making a "plumb line" from a small weight and a string.
Measure the distance from this point to the center (average) of your landing positions. This is the
range of the projectile ("R" in the diagram above).
3. Change your launcher so that your projectile is launched at a different speed and repeat. Take at
least one set of data for each person in your lab group.

Results: (Show a sample calculation!)

Results should be shown in a table separate from the experimental data.

1. Calculate the average rolling time (troll) for your projectile to travel the measured horizontal
distance (d).
2. Calculate the speed, vx, of the projectile as it rolls across the table (vx = d/troll). This should be the
speed that the projectile has when it leaves the table.
3. Calculate the time (the falling time, tfall) it will take the ball to fall vertically from the table top to

the target. ( ) Note: Use g = 9.81 m/s2 for accuracy.

4. Calculate the horizontal distance that the ball will go during the time it takes to fall to the target.
(R = vxtfall)
5. Construct a graph of average horizontal range vs. initial velocity for all data sets. Remember to
think carefully about which is the independent or dependent variable. Label and explain on the
graph the meaning of the slope of this graph.
6. A good measure of comparison (between the measured and calculated ranges) is the "percent of

difference":

Conclusions:
How do the measured range and calculated range compare? In other words, do the kinematics equations
that we have been using seem to work in practice? If not, why not? Do you think that it is the fault of the
kinematics or due to some problem with your experimental procedure? Be specific. A detailed
quantitative and qualitative analysis of error is expected.