Parabolic free fall

Ages

Introduction

Summary

You can adjust the angle of the cannon relative to the horizontal. The muzzle velocity can also be adjusted.  A cursor is provided to enable the making of measurements.  The “Theory” button provides a mathematical representation of the experiment. Air resistance is ignored.

Goals

• To illustrate a parabolic free fall experiment.
• To show the independence between horizontal and vertical components of motion.
• To see the effects of the muzzle velocity and the initial angle on the path of the cannon ball.

Features

Click and tilt the cannon.

Click on to shoot and to stop the motion.

Click on 'theory' to show a mathematical representation of the experiment.

Tags

free-fall parabola gravitation Newton cannon trajectory mechanic dynamic parabolic path