Projectile Motion

How to model projectile motion

Make sure the horizontal and vertical velocity are independent

Explain the curved path of a projectile

The horizontal velocity remains constant, while the vertical velocity decreases

Explain why the horizontal velocity of a particle remains constant

No forces act on it to accelerate it

Explain why the vertical velocity of a particle decreases

Its weight acts downwards, causing acceleration due to gravity

What do you do if a projectile is thrown at an angle

Resolve it into vertical and horizontal velocity

In what ways can you investigate projectile motion

-Video camera

-Strobe photography

Experiment to investigate projectile motion using a video camera

1- Video the projectile moving

2- Use video analysis software to plot the course taken by an object by recording its position during each frame

3- If you know the frame rate and the video software has a ruler, you can calculate the velocity by working out how far it moves between frames

Experiment to investigate projectile motion using strobe photography

1- Set a camera to long exposure and throw the projectile in front of a grid.

2- The strobe light flashes at regular intervals

3- Calculate the velocity by the distance the projectile moves during the time of a strobe interval