PROJECTILE MOTION ACTIVITY Physics

Names:

Year & Section:

Date:

Instructions: Perform the activity below and fill-in the table with the information you can derive from the interactive simulation found on:
http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Projectile_Motion

A. Constant Initial Speed Choose an initial speed and keep it constant. Vary the angle of release from 00-900 and record your observations. Initial Speed Angles of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

1. Using the same initial velocity, describe the trajectory of the projectile when the angle of release is varying from 0 to 90 degrees.

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province

2. How does the range vary with the angle? What angle produces the longest range? The shortest?

3. How does the maximum height vary with each firing?

4. How does the maximum time vary with each firing?

B. Constant Angle of Release Keeping the angle of release constant, vary the initial speed of the projectile and record your observations in the table below. Initial Speeds Angle of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province

1. Describe the trajectory of the projectile when the initial velocity is increased.

2. Which of the factors (height, range, time) vary/ies along with the change in initial speed.

C. Does the projectiles mass affect the trajectory in ideal situation? Keeping the initial velocity and angle of release constant record your observation on the projectile's trajectory when the mass is varying. Note: You can change the mass by changing the object. Make sure that the Air Resistance in not ticked.

Object 1: Initial Speed Angle of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province

Object 2: Initial Speed Angle of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

Object 3: Initial Speed Angle of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

D. The Effect of Air Resistance Tick the Air Resistance option on the toolbar. Set an initial speed and angle of release. Vary the drag coefficient and record your observations in the table that follows. Use different objects, thus you have varied mass and shape.

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province

Object 1: Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed

Drag Coefficient

Initial Speed

Angle of Release

Range

Height

Time of Flight

Object 2: Drag Coefficient Initial Speed Angle of Release Sine of Initial Speed Cosine of Initial Speed Time of Flight

Range

Height

GENERALIZATIONS: 1. What do the sin and cos of the speeds represent?

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province

2. What can be said about the horizontal component of the motion? What do you think happens to the magnitude of the horizontal component of the projectiles speed as it travels through its trajectory? What type of motion is it? (Hint: Examine the relationship between the horizontal component of the speed, the range, and the total time of flight.)

3. What can be said about the vertical component of the motion? What do you think happens to the vertical component of the projectiles speed as it travels through its trajectory? What type of motion is it?

4. Based on your data, what is the relationship between the horizontal and vertical component of the projectiles motion? Does the horizontal component depend on the vertical component or vice versa?

5. How can your knowledge in projectile motion be used in real life situations? Enumerate at least three (3) different situations and explain how projectile motion can be observed in each situation.

ARIEL C. LALISAN www.ariellalisan.com

Regional Science High School for Region XII Alabel, Sarangani Province