Projectile Motion Lab

Projectile motion is reasonably well-behaved at low speeds. Consider a ball that is about to roll off the table top. If you know: 1) the velocity of the ball as it leaves the table top; 2) the vertical distance it falls; and 3) the local value for g, you should be able to calculate the horizontal distance that the ball will travel. (See page 3, line 5 of the equation page.) That's your task for this lab experiment. Mark an X on the floor. I cover it with the target. Release the ball.


Necessary considerations

1. You get exactly one trial, once only, once.

2. The ball cannot leave the table until your official trial. A violation here will cost you all points in this activity.

3. In addition to measuring the distance from the edge of the table, you may wish to pay attention to the side-to-side drift for this activity.

4. Materials available to you today: meter stick, timer, steel ball bearing, launching wedge

5 The target has a piece of carbon paper under it to mark the point of impact.


Last edited 01/01/06