Aim
To study the motion of an object in a plane under constant acceleration, specifically focusing on projectile motion. This experiment helps understand the relationship between the horizontal and vertical components of motion, and how they combine to form a parabolic trajectory.
Materials Required
- Projectile launcher (for launching the object)
- Protractor (to set the angle of launch)
- Ruler (for measuring distances)
- Graph paper (for plotting the trajectory)
- Stopwatch (optional, for time measurement)
Image Reference
Procedure
- Set up the projectile launcher at a specific angle, typically 30° or 45°, depending on the desired trajectory.
- Launch the projectile and use the graph paper to mark the trajectory by plotting points where the projectile reaches specific heights and horizontal distances.
- Record the horizontal distance (range) and vertical distance (height) for each point of the projectile's path. Ensure measurements are precise.
- Repeat the experiment several times to gather accurate data for different distances and plot the trajectory for each launch.
- Use the recorded distances to calculate the time of flight and analyze the motion of the projectile in both the horizontal and vertical directions separately.
- Plot graphs of vertical displacement vs. time and horizontal displacement vs. time to analyze the motion more effectively.
Observation
The trajectory of the projectile follows a parabolic path. The motion of the object is influenced by the constant acceleration due to gravity acting in the vertical direction, while the horizontal motion remains uniform (constant velocity). The combination of these two motions results in a curved, parabolic trajectory.
Precautions
- Ensure that the launcher is set at a precise angle for accurate measurements.
- Use graph paper with clearly defined units to plot the trajectory accurately.
- Ensure the projectile is launched at the same speed for each trial to maintain consistency in the experiment.
- Measure the horizontal and vertical distances carefully, ensuring there are no parallax errors while reading the ruler or protractor.
Conclusion
This experiment demonstrates the principles of projectile motion, where the horizontal and vertical components of motion are independent of each other. The combination of uniform motion in the horizontal direction and uniformly accelerated motion in the vertical direction results in a parabolic trajectory, as described by the equations of motion.