Quadratic Catapult Unit 4

Allie Armstrong & Ethan Sim

 Building Our Catapult

The process of building the catapult was overall pretty

simple. Our team’s communication contributed to the ease of
the process. The design we created for our catapult worked
fairly well, however, we had to reposition some of the rubber
bands to replace the hot glue we initially used that fell off.
Our Process:
Marshmallow Trial 1
Marshmallow Trial 2
Marshmallow Trial 3
 Marshmallow and Dice Data Crunch
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Dice Time In Air 3 seconds 3 seconds 2.5 seconds

Dice Distance 4.4 feet 5.1 feet 5.3 feet

Marshmallow Time In Air 1 second 1.5 seconds 1.5 seconds

Marshmallow Distance 2.9 feet 2.7 feet 4.7 feet

Gravity Acceleration -16 -16 -16

Horizontal Velocity (M) 18.9 25.8 27.1

Horizontal Velocity (D) 49.5 49.7 42.1

 Desmos Graphs (Marshmallows)

Marshmallow Trial 1 Marshmallow Trial 2

Marshmallow Trials Compared

Marshmallow Trial 3
 Marshmallow Launch Equations

Quadratic Equations Trial One Trial Two Trial Three

Marshmallow y=-16x2+18.9x+0 y=-16x2+25.8x+0 y=-16x2+27.1x+0

 Follow Up Questions
1. Was the distance and time consistent from trial to trial? Explain.
a. The time and distance of all the trials were consistent, except for the distance
of the 3rd trial, where the marshmallow flew about 2x the distance of the
other marshmallows.
2. Was the velocity of the catapult consistent from trial to trial? What might affect
changes in velocity?
a. The velocities between trials were consistent save for the 2nd trial. The wind
can affect changes in velocity.
3. What are potential sources of error in this project?
a. The technique used in launching the catapult, and the measurement of the
projectile’s distance are potential sources of error in this project.
 Follow Up Questions
1. Was your design choice successful? Why or why not?
a. Our design choice was successful because we loosely based it on a design we
found online. From there, we built upon that original design and created a
catapult that, at the very least, didn’t break when it was used.
2. What would you do next time to improve your design? Be specific.
a. The hot glue we used didn’t dry correctly and broke when we used our
catapult. As a result, we had to use rubber bands to secure our launching arm
to the catapult base. In the future, we can be more patient with our drying
process/be more time conscious overall.
 Follow Up Questions
1. How can you determine a mathematical equation that will model the path of a
projectile?
a. We can input the x (time) & y (distance) variables given from the projectile’s
path into a table in Desmos. From there, Desmos gives a quadratic equation
that fashions the path of the projectile.
2. What variables affect the time in air of a projectile? The distance traveled?
a. The wind, launching technique, leverage point, and the weight/size of the
projectile all affect the time and distance traveled by the projectile.
3. What is the relationship between horizontal distance and time in air?
a. The larger the horizontal distance, the longer the time the projectile travels in
air, and the same is said vice versa.
 Follow Up Questions
1. If you were asked to model the relationship between distance and time, what steps would
you need to go through?
a. If we were to model the relationship between distance and time, we could input our
quadratic equations from each trial and graph the parabolas to analyze the data.
2. Extra Credit (3): Complete measurements with dice as well as marshmallow. What do you
notice? What is the difference? Include trial data.
a. We noticed that the dice went farther on average than the marshmallow did., usually
by almost 2 feet (Mmallow trials resulted in 2.9 ft, 2.7 ft, and 4.7ft, while Dice trials
resulted in 4.4 ft, 5.1 ft, and 5.3 ft). We can also see from the data that the dice was up
in the air longer than the marshmallow (Mmallow trials resulted in 1 sec, 1.5 sec, & 1.5
sec, while Dice trials resulted in 3 secs, 3 secs, and 2.5 secs). The dice also had a
greater velocity than the marshmallow.
 21st Century Skills Reflection
Thinking and Problem Solving: While we were building our catapult, we had to adapt due to the glue not drying
on our project. We also had to change our plan to fit the time/material restraints we had put on us. A problem we
ran into was the the lack of time that we had during the building process, but we got through this by building
upon a simple design we found online.

Interpersonal: This project allowed me to expand with my interpersonal skills because we had to work in random
groups, working with a peer was nice because we were able to digest the content on our own. My interpersonal
skills grew through this project because communication was key to dividing and conquering different problems,
and ultimately finishing the project on time.

Information: With this assignment we were able to use desmos to visualize the equations we created with our
catapult. We got information for our catapult design online, as well as asked many questions about processes
we weren’t sure on (calculating velocity, quadratic regression) to make sure our calculations were right.

Self Direction: This project allowed us to make our own decisions within the constraints of our catapult, allowing
for a unique end product. The building section of this project dealt the most with Self-Directional skills. All we
were given were the base materials, and from there we had free reign on the design and functionality aspects.