Laboratory Report
Experiment # 5
Discussion
Projectile motion is a form of motion experienced by an object or particle (a
projectile) that is projected near the Earth's surface and moves along a curved path
under the action of gravity only (in particular, the effects of air resistance are assumed
to be negligible). This curved path was shown by Galileo to be a parabola, but may also
be a line in the special case when it is thrown directly upwards.
The study of such motions is called ballistics, and such a trajectory is a ballistic
trajectory. The only force of significance that acts on the object is gravity, which acts
downward, thus imparting to the object a downward acceleration. Because of the
object's inertia, no external horizontal force is needed to maintain the horizontal velocity
component of the object.
Taking other forces into account, such as friction from aerodynamic drag or
internal propulsion such as in a rocket, requires additional analysis. A ballistic missile is
a missile only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight, and
whose subsequent course is governed by the laws of classical mechanics.
The object is called a projectile, and its path is called its trajectory. The motion of
falling objects, as covered in Problem-Solving Basics for One-Dimensional Kinematics,
is a simple one-dimensional type of projectile motion in which there is no horizontal
movement. In this section, we consider two-dimensional projectile motion, such as that
of a football or other object for which air resistance is negligible.
Initial Velocity
The initial velocity can be expressed as x components and y components:
In this equation, u stands for initial velocity magnitude and θ refers to projectile angle.
Time of Flight
The time of flight of a projectile motion is the time from when the object is projected to
the time it reaches the surface. As we discussed previously,
depends on the initial velocity magnitude and the angle of the projectile:
Acceleration
In projectile motion, there is no acceleration in the horizontal direction. The acceleration,
a, in the vertical direction is just due to gravity, also known as free fall:
The horizontal velocity remains constant, but the vertical velocity varies linearly,
because the acceleration is constant.
Displacement
At time, t, the displacement components are:
Parabolic Trajectory
We can use the displacement equations in the x and y direction to obtain an equation
for the parabolic form of a projectile motion:
Maximum Height
The maximum height is reached when v y= 0 Using this we can rearrange the velocity
equation to find the time it will take for the object to reach maximum height.
where t h stands for the time it takes to reach maximum height. From the displacement
equation we can find the maximum height
Range
The range of the motion is fixed by the condition y=0 Using this we can rearrange the
parabolic motion equation to find the range of the motion:
Examples of projectile motion scenario:
A cannon ball
Soccer ball
Two forces combined will cause the arrow to move in the curved path.
The two kinds of motion that are combined to produce projectile motion
are horizontal and vertical motion. There are three main factors that affect the trajectory
of an object or body in flight: the projection angle, magnitude of projection velocity and
height of projection.
References:
https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-assets/23576_book_item_23576.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projectile_motion
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/physics/chapter/3-4-projectile-motion/
https://phys.libretexts.org/Courses/Prince_George's_Community_College/PHY1030_General_Physics___I/03%3A_T
wo-Dimensional_Kinematics/3.3%3A_Projectile_Motion
Observation
Equipment used in the experiment are:
Plastic tube
Metal ball
Iron stand
Clamp
Meter stick
In every trial the height of the vertical exit of plastic tube from the ground is
increased. The metal ball is released and the horizontal is measured with the range the
ball travelled.
In this experiment, the higher the plastic tube is from the ground the faster the
motion of the ball. Gravity is the force acting in this motion. It consists of horizontal
motion that has no force acting on it. The vertical motion has a gravitational force
(9.8m/s2). If the height of measurement in plastic tube increased the horizontal
measurement range of the ball is short.
Data tabulation/records
Conclusion
In conclusion, the horizontal and vertical motion was used to calculate the time it
reaches the ground and to get the initial velocity of the metal ball. The results showed
the velocity of the metal ball when released in the plastic tube. The motion in which a
ball is thrown is called projectile motion while free fall is any motion of an object where
gravity is the only force acting on it.
The purpose of this investigation is to measure the vertical displacement, or height of
the plastic tube in the ground and the horizontal displacement, or range, travelled by a
projectile. The distance of the ball travelled when it is launched, in the first trial it is
1.23m and in the third trial it is 1.16m. Average velocity of the three trials is 1.92 m/s.
In the next further experiment in projectile motion, I would like to try what would be the
motion and displacement with the use of different objects. Example is when using an
arrow would it hit the center target depends on my distance or the force that I will apply
in the arrow bow.
