| WebQuest:
Projectile Motion |
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Part
A: Launch the
Pumpkin (or any of the other choices, it matters not)
Launch the pumpkin for
each of the following sets of
conditions. For each launch, guess where
the pumpkin will land. Move the target
to that spot before you launch. See how
well you do! Record the range and time
from the white boxes at the top of the screen.
Use the measuring tape at the bottom of the screen to measure the peak
height. Complete the table below:
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10°
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30°
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45°
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60°
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80°
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Initial
speed (m/s)
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15
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15
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15
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15
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15
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Range
(m)
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Peak
Height (m)
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Time
(s)
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-
What
angle of launch produced the largest range? Why
do you think this
occurred?
(Hint: think
about the components
of the initial velocity)
-
What
observation can you make about the ranges for complementary launch
angles?
(Complementary angles are
angles that add to
90 degrees.)
- For
what angle of launch does the pumpkin spend the longest time in the air?
- For
what angle of launch does the pumpkin go the highest into the air? Do
you think that the maximum height is
related to the time in the air?
Explain
why or why not.
- Can
the pumpkin go further horizontally in less time if the angle of launch
is
smaller (for the same initial speed)? Explain
using your data.
- What
happens to the path of the projectile if air resistance (drag) is
turned on?
Draw an example.
- How
does mass affect the range of the projectile. Try
it and summarize your
findings.
Summary
of Projectile
Motion Facts:
- The angle that produces the
largest range is _______________.
- ___________________ angles
have the same range.
- ______________ is not a
factor in how far a projectile will travel.
- When comparing two
projectiles, the projectile that has the largest ___________ will spend
the longest time in the air, regardless of how far the projectile goes
in the horizontal direction.
- Introducing air resistance
causes the range to __________________.
Part B:
Extra Credit “The Monkey
and the Zookeeper”
Go
to http://www.physicsclassroom.com/mmedia/vectors/mzg.html
Suppose
the zookeeper must shoot a banana from the banana
cannon to the monkey who hangs from the limb of a tree.
The
particular monkey has a habit of dropping
from the tree the moment that the banana leaves the muzzle of the
cannon.
The zookeeper is faced with
the dilemma of
where to aim the cannon in order to hit the monkey. Where
do you think he must aim?
Look
at the
animations on the website and see if your prediction is true.
Explain the results.
Made 15 October 2006
by Lori Andersen.