Projectiles Computer Lab

Introduction: You will play with the PHET Simulation called Projectile Motion changing height of fire and angle of fire, to get some familiarity with the ways projectiles move through the air.

Part I 1. Go to http://phet.colorado.edu/ and run the Projectile Motion Sim. 2. Set your cannon angle to 0 degrees. Do not change any other values 3. Grab the bullseye and move it to the far right edge of the screen. Leave the trace lines on the screen between trials. 4. Fire the Cannon and measure the distance between the ground and the crosshairs on your cannon, using the tape measure tool. (Hint: keep the yellow part of the tape on the ground. Record that measurement as shown below

5. Shoot the cannon and record the range and time. 6. Repeat at heights of 5 m, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m. Measure the height as shown above.

Part II 7. Bring the cannon back to the ground and fire the cannon at 5Degrees. Measure the horizontal distance with the tape measure, as shown below. Record this distance and the time, in table provided.

8. Repeat this for every 5 degrees continuing until you reach 90 degrees. 9. Repeat step 8 but turn on air resistance. Name ______Shooting at 0 degrees from different Heights. Height (m) Horizontal distance Time in the air. (m) (sec)

Shooting the Cannon at different Angles from the ground. Firing Distance No Time Distance w/Air Res Time Angle Air Res. w/Air 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90

Answer the following Questions: How does elevation affect the horizontal distance a projectile flies?

What patterns are visible in the distances when fired at different angles?

What is the affect that air resistance creates on the horizontal distance pattern?