Marble Lab 2: Projectile Prediction

Introduction and Question

When a projectile goes off of a horizontal ledge, it enters free fall. If we ignore air resistance because it is happening at a slow speed in our lab, we can say that the horizontal component of the projectile's velocity (v_x) is going to remain constant. If we can figure out how long it will take for the projectile to fall, then we could predict how far it will go.

Question: How far will our projectile go?

Hypothesis: If our horizontal velocity before the projectile leaves the table is [_____] m/s, then the projectile will go [_____] meters before hitting the ground.

Data

Part 1: Determining horizontal velocity (Vx)

The horizontal velocity of the projectile can be found by dividing the distance it travels (at a constant speed) by the time it took.

Vx = x / t

Part 2: Finding the time to ground

The amount of time it takes for the projectile to hit the ground can be determined by only considering the vertical component of the motion. First, measure the height of the table (y). Then, use the acceleration for position and solve for time.

y = y0 + v0t+ 1/2 a t^2

Part 3: Finding the range

Using the time you just found, find the horizontal distance by multiplying velocity by time.

x = vx * t

Conclusion

Describe the procedure in your lab notebook. In your conclusion, respond to your hypothesis. Did you hit the hippo? Which direction did you miss on? What made you miss (was it a calculation error, or was it a measurement error)?

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