Projectile Motion - Lab Report Example

Projectile Motion This refers to the motion under the effect of gravity. This experiment is going to investigate four aspects of projectile motion.Objectives of the experiment1. To show that horizontal and vertical components of motion can be treated separately2. To show that the horizontal motion takes place at constant velocity3. To show that the range is the same for complimentary angles4. To show that the trajectory is a parabolaDiscussion of the four aspects of the experimentThe first part was the experiment following the procedure in part 3.

1 was meant to verify that the ball launched at different speeds hit the ground at the same time interval after being shot while the range will depend on the initial velocity that is vertical motions and horizontal motions are considered differently. From the results obtained from the data sheet the muzzle velocity is supposed to represent the initial velocity of the yellow plastic projectile. It is evident that the range depends on the initial velocity i.e. The higher the initial velocity the higher the range.

The results indicate higher time of flight for high setting and vice versa. Besides that we expect to see the time of flight to be the same for any value of the initial velocity. In the second part, the experiment investigates ratio of the average velocity versus muzzle velocity that is, if the horizontal velocity is constant during the flight, then it should be equal to or very close to the muzzle velocity and this is achieved by setting the gun at an angle of elevation of 35 degrees. In the third part the experiment investigates that the range is the same for complimentary angles.

The results indicate a relatively close value for the range and time of flight. This shows that the range and time of flight are the same for complimentary angles. The fourth part investigates that a curve formed by a trajectory takes the form of a parabola. This is achieved by setting the target at the same level as the muzzle for any chosen angle. The observed shape is a parabola. In this experiment, there were errors, hence accurate results were not achieved as can be seen from the data sheet.

One possible cause of the uncertainties is the inaccurate timing from the time projection and the exact time of landing an error that can be attributed to the inaccuracy of the observer causing random error. Another possible cause of inaccurate results is the variation of the initial velocity as a result effect of the difference in the launching of the gun affecting the muzzle velocity.If this experiment was performed on the moon where the force of gravity is 1/6 of the earth, we expect the initial velocity to be greater than when it would have been in the lab because the moon offers less resistance in terms of force to the motion of the projectile.

Similarly, If the experiment was performed on the moon, the target distance will be longer because the acceleration due to gravity acceleration is low hence the projectile will have an overall increased range. Finally, if the height of performing the experiment was increased we expect the distance travelled to be constant. There will be no change provided the initial horizontal velocity and the angle of elevation is kept constantWork citedKnudson, Duane V. Fundamentals of Biomechanics. New York [u.a.: Kluwer Academic Plenum Publ, 2003. Print.