Air Trajectory

From at least 1 meter away, students must trigger a device that drops a mass and then converts the gravitational energy of the mass to air pressure or movement, which is used to launch the projectile. The device must start at ambient air pressure (i.e., the projectile should not launch without the mass falling).

The goal is to launch the projectile (i.e., tennis balls, racquetballs, ping-pong balls, or plastic practice golf balls) so that it lands as close as possible to the center of a target placed between 2.00 to 8.00 meters away. The allowed intervals at which the target areas are placed are different for regionals (0.50 m), states (0.25 m), and nationals (0.10 m).

In addition to device accuracy at the competition, the score accounts for a graph component, in which teams are to bring graphs for determination of the best launch parameters.

RESOURCES AND LINKS

• Official Rules Clarification Posted 9/16/15
• Air Trajectory Team Checklist (PDF) - posted 12/4/15
• Air Trajectory Event Score Sheet (Excel) - posted 12/4/15
• Sample Graph Template (Excel) - posted 1/18/16
• 1-Minute Video Clip on Science Olympiad TV on YouTube
• Science Olympiad Student Center Wiki for Air Trajectory
• Science Olympiad Student Center Student Discussion Forum