PHY 2048L Physics full Lab Report 3 Experiment 3.1 & 3.2 Projectile Motion & Independence of X and Y Motions

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Introduction In this experiment, the student launched plastic balls using a projectile launcher and measured the initial speed and flight times of the ball. The student also measured flight times of... two (one solid and one hollow) steel balls with one at free fall and the other at projectile motion. The purpose of the two experiments conducted in lab three was to verify the flight range and flight time of a ball launched at an angle and to verify the independence of X and Y motion for a projectile. The student was expected to calculate R, T, and Ymax using the measured data. Theory The equipment used in the first section of the experiment were projectile launcher, plastic ball, one photogate, plumb bob, photogate bracket, 2m-meterstick, white paper, carbon paper, time-offlight timing pad, interface box, and computer. In the second section of the experiment, the equipment used were projectile launcher, drop shoot accessory, solid steel ball, hollow steel ball, one photogate, white paper, carbon paper, time-of-flight timing pad, interface box, and computer. A projectile launcher illustrates the idea that motion in different dimensions is absolutely independent while a photogate is a device that measures the time between events that interrupt an infra-red beam. Both are integral parts of this experiment. The theories explored in this lab were the theories of projectile motion, free fall, and independence of horizontal and vertical motions. Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an object is thrown indirectly near the earth's surface, and it moves along a curved path under the action of gravity. It can be described by the equations: a) y = y0 + (v0 sin θ)t – 1/2gt2 , b) x = (v0 cos θ)t, and c) R = (v0 cos θ)T. The x and y are the instantaneous horizontal and vertical positions of the ball at moment t while x = 0 is defined at the initial horizontal position of the ball and y = 0 is defined at the top level of the timing pad. Θ (degrees) is the angle of the initial velocity above the horizontal, v0 (m/s) is the initial speed of the ball, g = 9.80 m/s2 , y0 (m)is the initial vertical position of the ball, ymax (m) is the highest vertical position that the ball can reach during its projectile motion, T (s) is the total flight time of the ball, and R (m) is the flight range. Free fall is any motion of a body where its weight is the only force acting upon it. The idea of independence of horizontal and vertical motions is that if a white ball is dropped from rest and a black ball is simultaneously projected horizontally, at any given time, both balls will have the same y-position, y-velocity, and yacceleration despite having different x-positions and x-velocities. Procedures In the first section of the experiment, the student dealt with projectile motion. The student measured the initial speed of a ball released from a projectile launcher when it passed through the photogate as well as the flight time that takes the ball from the photogate to the timing pad. First, the student prepared the equipment in order to carry out the tests accurately. The student did so by clamping the base of the projectile launcher to the edge of a sturdy table, aiming the launcher away from the table toward an open area, adjusting the angle of the launcher to zero degree so the plastic ball is shot of horizontally, mounting the photogate on the bracket, sliding that bracket into the T-slot, and connecting the photogate to the D1 and the time-off-flight timing pad to D3. [Show More]

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