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For centuries, cannons have been used in warfare, celebrations, and even scientific experiments. When a cannon is fired, the cannonball follows a curved path through the air before eventually hitting the ground. This motion is known as projectile motion, a fundamental concept in physics that describes how objects move when launched into the air under the influence of gravity.
The path of a cannonball is determined by several factors, including the initial velocity, angle of launch, and air resistance. Understanding projectile motion helps predict where the cannonball will land, making it crucial for military strategy in the past and modern applications such as ballistics, sports, and even space exploration.
This item set is based on PhET Colorado’s model that determines how each parameter (e.g. initial height, initial angle, initial speed, mass, diameter, and altitude) affects the trajectory of an object, with and without air resistance.
TRY THE SIMULATION HERE:
Explore the simulation freely and discover what happens to different projectiles on varying conditions. You may use this to correctly answer the questions that follow.
Before you begin, identify the controls as seen in the image below.
Question 1
What physical quantities, present in the image above, affect the trajectory of a projectile such as the cannonball? List five (5) physical quantities.
Question 2
If you were to draw a realistic trajectory of the cannonball when launched, how would you describe what it will look like?
Study the image and the random data set below, then answer questions 3 and 4.
Question 3a
Match the random data provided. Which range and time matches the launch angle asked?
Question 3b
What can you conclude from the relationship of launch angle, range, and time?
Question 4
How would you describe the trajectory of the projectile if the launch angle was changed to any value lower than 60°?
Study the image below and answer questions 5, 6, and 7.
Question 5
What factor/s appear/s to affect the range of the projectiles, based on the image? Cite all possible answers.
☐ Mass of the projectile
☐ Shape of the projectile
☐ Peak of the projectile
☐ Gravity
☐ Air Resistance
☐ Initial Speed
☐ Launching Angle
☐ Launching Height
☐ Range
☐ Time
Question 6
Which of the following best explains why the different projectiles land at different distances in the image? Complete the sentence by retyping the whole sentence in the response box provided. Mind your spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Question 7
Based on the image, how does launch angle affect the projectile's motion? Shade one.
A. A higher launch angle always results in a longer range.
B. A lower launch angle results in a higher maximum height.
C. Same launch angle may produce different ranges due to air resistance, given they have different masses and shape.
D. The launch angle has no effect on projectile motion.
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