Experiment # 1 – Measuring the Acceleration of Gravity
The object in motion is said to be in free fall. That is because the only force that is acting on the object is said to be the …show more content…
Using kinematic equations, you will determine where a target will land. This experiment ignores air resistance. This projectile is launched with a speed of v(0) at an unknown angle. Therefore, the shape of the motion is predicted to be parabolic.
Procedure
The nerf gun is set up to a ring stand at approximately 50 cm above the table. Pick an unknown angle other than 0 or 90 degrees to launch the nerf bullet. Adjust the launcher so that it projects the projectile onto the table. For the first portion of the experiment the angle that you choose will remain constant throughout the experiment. A measurement from the height of the table to the nerf gun describes the launching position that should be recorded. The nerf gun bullets will have a weight to them so that they wouldn’t go too far. Place a piece of paper with a target drawn on it on the table. It should be 25 cm away from the ring stand. The nerf gun should be fired many times so it can land close to the target area. Repeat two more times with two other unknown angles. With all the information compiled you can calculate the speed at which the projectile was launched as well as the range in the horizontal