Projectile Motion Lab

Report
By
Napat Alayangkool No.1
Sorrawit Chalermnai No.2
Don S. Chen No.3
Varunya Visitatimat No.20

Made possible by Miss Susana Alulod

Section 1106
 Table of Content

Introduction

Objective

Materials

Procedure

Set up

Data and Results

Calculations

Analysis and Results

Conclusion

Recommendation

References

Worklog

Introduction

In the past, the first person who accurately calculated projectiles is Galileo. He was
the first person to break forces into its separate horizontal and vertical components. So that
we could calculate final velocity, time, acceleration, initial velocity, and also the displacement
of the object. The projectile motion was described as an object thrown near the Earth’s
surface which moves along a curved path under the action of gravity only.
In this experiment, we will test the projectile motion with a metal ball launching in a
different angle to see which angle that the metal ball goes the furthest, and we will calculate
the initial velocity and the distance that the ball travels.

Objective
To study the elements of a projectile motion using the projectile apparatus and its
accessories.

Materials
● Goggles
● Measuring tape
 ● Metal ball
● Masking tape
● Projectile machine

Procedure

Part 1
1. Check the leveling and set launcher at horizon (0° angle). Use low pressure possible
(50-70 psi) and keep it constant throughout the experiment. Note and record the
pressure.
2. Insert a metal ball into the launcher then pump in the air using a hand pump to the
desired pressure. Press and hold “ arm button” then press “ Launch” to fire the ball.
Note the approximate spot where the ball hit the table by putting a masking tape on
the said spot.
3. Measure the height of the launching ball (from table to middle of firing rod)
4. Reload and launch the ball for 3 times, measure the distance from the middle
launcher to landing spot. (When the ball hit the masking tape, it will leave a black
spot.
5. Record the distance and calculate initial velocity.

Part 2
1. Fire the projectile at the angles of 20°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 70° (3 trials for each angle).
Using pressure (50-70 psi).
2. Record the length (range) of landing spot.
3. From the length (range) measured at various angles, determine the angle of
maximum range and highlight it in data table.

Set up

Part 1

Data and Results

Part 1: Determine initial velocity of a projectile

Pressure: 70 psi
Height: 14.6 cm

Trial Distance (cm) Initial velocity (cm/s)

1 59 cm 17 m/s

2 70 cm 18.51 m/s
 3 71.3 cm 18.71 m/s

Average initial velocity 18.07 m/s

Part 2: Range VS. Angle of projectile

Angle (°) Length (Range in cm)

Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

20° 92.1 cm 88.8 cm 87.3 cm 89.4 cm

30° 137.4 cm 149 cm 159 cm 148.6 cm

45° 145.9 cm 149.9 cm 168 cm 154.6 cm

60° 114.3 cm 117.4 cm 108.4 cm 113.4 cm

70° 52 cm 59.6 cm 52.7 cm 54.8 cm

Calculations

Part 1:

Trial Initial Velocity

 1
2(59)
𝑡 = √ = 3.47𝑠
9.8

59
𝑉𝑖𝑥 = = 17𝑚/𝑠
3.47

2
2(70)
𝑡 = √ = 3.78𝑠
9.8

70
𝑉𝑖𝑥 = = 18.51𝑚/𝑠
3.78

3
2(71.3)
𝑡 = √ = 3.81𝑠
9.8

71.3
𝑉𝑖𝑥 = = 18.71𝑚/𝑠
3.81

Part 2:

Angle (°) Average length

20° 92.1 + 88.8 + 87.3

= 89.4 𝑐𝑚
3
30° 137.4 + 149 + 159
= 148.6 𝑐𝑚
3
45° 145.9 + 149.9 + 168
= 154.6 𝑐𝑚
3
60° 114.3 + 117.4 + 108.4
= 113.4 𝑐𝑚
3
70° 52 + 59.6 + 52.7
= 54.8 𝑐𝑚
3

Analysis and Results

In part one, the first trial has the only result that deviated from the other 2 trials. In
theory all 3 trials should have identical results, but in this case we can only assume that
there was an error in the first trial. There are 2 major possibilities of error: inconsistent
pressure and inconsistent tape position. We concluded that the error was most possibly the
tape moving, because the pressure was heavily monitored by 2 people
 In part two, we got the expected result, which is the distance increasing with the
angle until it reaches maximum distance at 45 degrees, then gradually reducing after.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this lab allowed us to investigate projectile motion by determining the

distance of the object shot at different angles. The results have given us the idea how the
projectile motion is related to the degrees of angle that the object is being shot. According to
our experiment, we can say that the angle that has given the most distance is 45 degrees.

Recommendation

● Keep the carbon tape steady for accurate measurements.

● Assign only one person to operate the launching machine to eliminate the
differences between 2 humans.
● Assign only one person to control the air pressure for the same reason as
above.
● Assign only one person to measure the distance.

References

● The experiment
● http://ffden-
2.phys.uaf.edu/211.fall2000.web.projects/J.%20Gentry%20and%20D.%20Arn
old/phys211.html
● https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/3-4-projectile-motion/

Worklog

Members Work done

Don Collecting the projectile after ejection,

Analysis and Results, Recommendation

Napat Keeping the tape from moving, Introduction

Sorrawit Operating projectile machine, Conclusion

Varunya Objective, Material, Procedure, Data and

Results, Calculations