Measuring Initial Speed and Range for a Ball Launched Horizontally

The goal of this experiment was to determine a relationship between initial speed and

range of a ball launched horizontally. This was done by measuring the initial velocity with

a speedometer and range of the ball via tape measure. The results showed that as initial

velocity increases, horizontal range increases at the same rate. Looking at the graph we

can tell that there is a strong positive correlation with the data points. This analysis

supports expected relationship. Our final value for gravitational acceleration was 9.81 ms−2

1. Introduction

In physics class, it was demonstrated that the time aloft for a projectile depends only on the vertical

displacement and the vertical component of the initial velocity. This means that the horizontal

component of the initial velocity should be independent of the time aloft for the projectile. In physics

textbooks, a common example compares a projectile dropped from a certain height with another

projectile fired horizontally and finds that their time aloft is the same (Tsokos, 2014).

In this experiment, the extent to which this example can be applied to real projectiles fired

horizontally will be explored. By changing the initial speed of the projectiles, the range of the projectile

should change while the time aloft should remain the same. In this experiment, an attempt will be

made to describe the relationship between range and initial speed, and the effect of external factors

such as air resistance may be observed.

2. Background

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 The equations for 2D projectile motion are summarized in table 1. The assumptions for using

these equations are that the vertical component of the acceleration is constant, and the horizontal

component of the acceleration is zero.

Vertical
s v =vertical displacement
u v =vertical component of initial velocity
t=time aloft
a v =vertical component of acceleration
v v =vertical component of final velocity
Horizontal
s H =range (horizontal displacement )
u H =horizontal component of initial velocity
t=time aloft
v H =horizontal component of final velocity

1 2
s v =uv t+ a v t ① s H =u H t ⑤
2

v v =u v + av t ② v H =u H ⑥

2 2
v v =uv +2 a v s v ③

u v+ vv
sv= t ④
2

Table 1 The equations for 2D projectile motion.

The horizontal component of the acceleration should be zero as long as the effects of air resistance

are negligible. The vertical component should be constant as long as the experiment is conducted

near the surface of the Earth. This is due to the equation for gravitational field strength,

GM
g= 2
( Richardson et al . , 2009 ) , ⑦
r

where g is the gravitational field strength (also called gravitational acceleration), M is the mass of the

Earth, G is the universal gravitational constant, and r is the distance from the center of the Earth to

the center of the projectile (Richardson et al., 2009).

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 The value of gravitational acceleration g should be constant if we are close to the surface of the

earth, in which case r ≈ R, where R is the radius of the Earth. The value for G is

−11 2 −2
G= ( 6.6743± 0.00015 ) ×10 Nm k (Cooper, 2022). The mass of the Earth is 5.9736 ×10 24 kg

(Cain, 2015), though no uncertainty for this value could be found. The earth is not perfectly spherical,

but an average value for radius can be stated as R=( 6.3675 ±0.0105 ) × 106 m by averaging the values

for polar and equatorial radius of the earth (NASA, 2020).

Finally, an expected average value for gravitational acceleration can be calculated to be

−2
g=9.83 ±0.03 m s . ⑧

This value largely matches the values often used during DP physics lessons ( 9.8∨9.81 m s−2), but this

value includes uncertainty, and will be compared with the value obtained through this experiment.

3. Research Question and Experimental Variables

The research question for this investigation is: How does the initial speed of a projectile

launched horizontally affect the range of the projectile? Challenges in designing such an

experiment include controlling the effect of air resistance, the path of the object, and the initial heigh.

Methods such as slow-motion video, and light-based speed sensors are often used (Richardson et al.,

2009).

The planned experiment aims to measure the influence of initial speed of a horizontally launched

projectile on its range. The experiment will utilize materials including a projectile launcher, a plastic

ball, a measuring tape, carbon and printer paper, a speedometer, and both slow-motion video

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recording equipment. The focus will be on measuring the range of the projectile under different initial

speed conditions.

The independent variable is the initial speed of the horizontally launched projectile. The units are

−1
ms . It will be measured with a digital speedometer. Limitations to precision may arise from potential

misalignment between the speedometer and projectile, the uncertainty of the device used is ± 0.005 m.

The dependent variable is the range of the projectile, measured in meters (m) using a measuring

tape from the point of launch to the point of impact marked with carbon paper. The carbon paper

serves as a visual marker for the point of impact. Limitations to precision/accuracy may include

systematic error in measuring, or inaccuracies in the digital speedometer.

The important control variables in this experiment include,

 Independent variable: Initial speed of the projectile (ms−1).

 Dependent variable: Horizontal distance of the projectile (m),

 Type of projectiles, angle of launch, launch height.

4. Predicting the Relationship between Initial speed and horizontal distance.

The following experimental assumptions will be used to make a simple but accurate prediction.

(1) The effects of air resistance are negligible. This assumption simplifies the equations used in

the experiment, particularly those related to projectile motion. By neglecting air resistance, the

equations become more straightforward. This assumption is justified in situations where the

projectile has a relatively small surface area, and the initial speeds are not extremely high.

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 Additionally, conducting the experiment with controlled air conditions (such as a classroom)

can minimize the impacts of air resistance.

(2) The entire experiment is conducted close to the surface of the Earth. This assumption affects

the gravitational force components of the equations. By considering the experiment closes to

the earth’s surface, the gravitational acceleration remains approximately constant, simplifying

the equations of projectile motion. This assumption is valid when the vertical distances

traveled are relatively small compared to the Earths radius.

The following uniformly accelerated motion equation ① above can be used, substituting zero for the

vertical component of the initial velocity (u v) and gravitational acceleration ( g) for vertical acceleration (

a v ), and then rearranging the equation to solve for the time (t ) and obtain

t=
√ 2 Sv
g
⑨

This equation can be substituted into equation ⑤ to obtain the final equation

S H =U H
√ 2 Sv
g
⑩

A linear relationship is between S H and U H is predicted, so the graph will be a straight line going

through the origin.

A prediction can be made for the gradient of the graph using equation ⑩.

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 SH=
√ 2 ×0.776
908
=0.3953815 s ⑪

Where the value of s v represents the height of the table used in this experiment, and the value used

for g is that shown in equation ⑧.

5. Methodology

(1) Measurement of Variables: The independent variable, initial speed of the projectile, will be

measured using a digital speedometer attached to the end of the launcher. The dependent

variable, horizontal distance of the projectile, will be measured using a tape measure from the

point of launch to the point of impact marked by the carbon paper.

(2) Control of Variables: Control variables such as type of projectile, angle of launch, and launch

height will be kept constant throughout the experiment by using the same projectiles,

maintaining a consistent launch angle, and keeping the launch height the same for each trial.

(3) Material and Precision:

 Projectile launcher: On top of a table, a metal ramp was mounted to a stand to create

an incline, a plastic ramp was attached to this ramp with tape to make a smoother

transition to the speedometer [Fig.1] [Fig.2]. Each launch point from the top of the ramp

was measured in 10cm increments and marked with tape [Fig.1]. When releasing the

projectile, a chosen member of the group aligned the ball to the edge of the tape with a

ruler and released from a precise point for each trial [Fig.3]. We can say this was

precise because the overall uncertainty in initial velocity was around ± 0.03 ms−1.

[Figure.1] The ramp used in [Figure.2] Placement of [Figure.3] launch method

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the experiment. speedometer. with ruler.
  Projectile: The same plastic ball in [Fig.3] was used in all trials to reduce uncertainty.

 Digital speedometer: Placed at the end of the ramp [Fig.2] this was used to measure

the initial velocity of the ball. The precision of this instrument is within ± 0.01 ms−1.

 Carbon paper: Used to mark the point of impact of the horizontal distance [Fig.5]. No

uncertainty.

 Tape measure: Used to measure the distance between the bottom of the launch point

[Fig.4] to the point of impact on the carbon paper [Fig.5]. [Fig.6].

[Figure.4] Point of launch [Figure.5] Carbon paper fixed [Figure.6] Overall

marked on ground. into place. arrangement.

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 (4) Data Collection: The range and amount of data will suffice to show the relationship between

the initial speed of the projectile and its horizontal distance. Multiple trials will be conducted

from different start heights [Fig.3] thus creating varying starting speeds, and the corresponding

horizontal distances will be recorded. 3 trials of each of the 7 data points will be collected to

show the relationship between the two variables.

(5) Safety Issues:

 Participants will stand clear of the launcher during launch to avoid accidents.

 Keep the experimental area clear of obstacles and tripping hazards to prevent accidents

during operation.

6. Raw Data Collection

The methods outlined above were used to collect the following raw data.

u / m s-1
(± 0.03 m sH / m (±0.002 m)
s-1) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
2.53 1.03 1.02 1.02
2.41 0.96 0.96 0.97
2.27 0.92 0.92 0.92
2.14 0.85 0.86 0.87
1.96 0.80 0.80 0.81
1.87 0.74 0.74 0.74
1.70 0.67 0.70 0.70

Table 2 The raw data collected in the experiment, initial speed and range across three trials.

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 The uncertainty value for the initial speed was 0.03 ms−1, showing the uncertainty of the

speedometer and the person who launched the ball. This uncertainty accounts for the range in which

the true initial velocity of the ball is likely to lie. The uncertainty for the horizontal distance was

± 0.0 02 m,

Determined by the initial uncertainty of the launch point marking on the floor and the smallest value

marked on the measuring tape. The reason the launch point contained uncertainty was because it was

determined finding the point directly under the launch point by holding a tape measure vertically to

mark the bottom, thus being unreliable.

Some qualitative observations were:

 Throughout the experiment it was seen that projectiles with a higher initial speed consistently

traveled further distances.

 There were no obvious external factors affecting the trajectory or range of the ball, supporting

the assumption of negligible air resistance.

7. Calculating the Mean and Presenting the Graph

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 Microsoft Excel was used to calculate the mean across the three trials. To calculate uncertainty for

a trial, the minimum value was subtracted from the maximum value then divided by 2. As an equation,

Max−Min 1.033−1.017
( ). For example Max=1.033 and Min=1.017 so =0.008. Meaning the
2 2

uncertainty for the trial is 0.008 .

The graph depicts the relationship between initial

Table 3 The independent variable and the mean values of
dependent variable, as well as uncertainty for the three speed of the projectile and its horizontal distance. The
trials.

Figure 1 Graph showing the relationship between initial speed and horizontal distance.

x-axis represents the initial speed of the projectile in meters per second ( ms−1), while the y-axis

represents the horizontal distance of the projectile in meters. The graph has a minimum and maximum

line of best fit through the data points. The trendline equation shows the equation used to measure the

relationship between initial speed and horizontal distance ( y=mx+b). Because the data points are

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following the trends closely it suggests a good fit. There are no outliers because all the data points are

close to the trend. In terms of error bars, the max error is around ± 0.02 m with the minimum close to 0.

This proves that there is little uncertainty in the graph.

8. Calculating the Gradient and Y-intercept of the Graph

The information about the three lines from the graph above (Fig. 2) are shown in the table below

(Table 4). The equations for the maximum and minimum lines were determined by selecting two

points along each line and calculating the gradient, then using one of the points and the gradient value

to determine the y-intercept.

Line of best-fit

y=mx+b y=0.4033 x −0.0002

Maximum line Minimum line

P1 P2 P1 P2

x1 y1 x2 y2 x1 y1 x2 y2

2.68 1.07 1.64 0.69 2.58 1.05 1.6 0.63

Gradient y-intercept Gradient y-intercept

0.365 0.091 0.429 -0.056

y 2− y 1 y 1−( x 1 ×Gradient )=¿ y 2− y 1 y 1−( x 1 ×Gradient )=¿

=¿ =¿
x 2−x 1 x 2−x 1
1.07−( 2.68 ×0.365 )=0.091 1.05− ( 2.58× 0.429 )=−0.056
(0.69−1.07) (0.63−1.05)
=0.365 =0.429
(1.64−2.68) (0.63−2.58)

Table 4 [brief description of the table]

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 The equations for the maximum and minimum lines can be used to determine the uncertainty in the

gradient and y-intercept of the graph. It will be calculated using the equation

maximum−minimum
Uncertainty = ⑤
2

Using the equation, the uncertainty in gradient is

0.429−0.365
Uncertainty = =± 0.0315934065934066 ⑥
2

Rounding the uncertainty to one significant figure, the gradient can be stated as

0.40 ± 0.03 s ⑦

By the same method used above, the y-intercept of the graph can be stated as

0.0002 ± 0.07 m ⑧

How does the initial speed of a projectile launched horizontally affect the range of the

projectile?

The gradient and y-intercept values in this experiment are crucial for revealing the connection between

the projectile's initial speed and its horizontal distance. The gradient represents the rate of change of

horizontal distance concerning initial speed. A positive gradient indicates a direct proportionality

between these variables. Additionally, a non-zero y-intercept suggests that factors like launch angle or

launch height contribute to the baseline horizontal distance, beyond just the initial speed. Collectively,

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these measured values confirm the anticipated relationship between initial speed and horizontal

distance.

9. References

Cain, F. (2015, December 24). Earth’s Mass - Universe Today. Universe Today.

https://www.universetoday.com/47217/earths-mass/

Cooper, K. (2022, September 14). What is the gravitational constant? Space.com.

https://www.space.com/what-is-the-gravitational-constant

NASA. (2020, October 22). Imagine the Universe! Imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov.

https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/features/cosmic/earth_info.html#:~:text=Its%20equatorial

%20radius%20is%206378

Richardson, B., Giambattista, A., & Richardson, R. (2009). Physics Volume 2 (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill

Education.

Tsokos, K. A. (2014). Physics for the IB Diploma (6th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

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