All AP Courses

Lab

Projectile Lab

A ball leaves the launcher and only gravity acts on it. Pick a graph, then change one slider at a time. Before you move it, say what you expect the graph to do.

Challenges

  1. With the launch height at 0, launch at 30 degrees and keep the path. Now launch at 60 degrees with the same speed. Why do the two land in the same place, and which one stays in the air longer?
  2. Switch to the velocity graph. What is the vertical velocity at the moment the ball is highest, and how can you see that on the graph?
  3. Raise the launch height to 10 m and set the angle to 0. Which graph is a straight line, and which one is a curve?
  4. With the launch height at 0 and the angle at 45 degrees, double the launch speed. By what factor does the horizontal distance grow? Check it against the readout.

Topics this lab supports