Copy Of PL Projectile Gizmo Lab Copy
Projectile Gizmo Lab
The Golf Range Gizmo simulation will bring together all the concepts we’ve studied in 2-D motion. Remember,
to access Gimzos, you must log in to your My eCLASS portal and click on the Science - Gizmos - Explore
Learning icon in the Digital Textbook section Working with the Simulation: In the diagram below, you can see
the parts of the simulation and how each works.
When you click , you can watch the vector arrows as the golf ball follows the
parabolic trajectory. You should see the red arrows, which indicate the horizontal component of the velocity,
and the blue arrows, which represent the vertical component of the velocity:
When you check Show velocity components, you can see the numerical value of each.
Activity A:
Maximum Distance Click and check that is selected
Set 𝑣 to 54m/s and θ to 20 degrees
𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
Question: What launch angle will produce the farthest range? The longest time of flight? The greatest
height? 50
1. Form hypothesis: What launch angle do you think will yield the farthest range? 40
What launch angle do you think will yield the longest time? 85
What launch angle do you think will yield the greatest height? 60
2. Gather Data: With the initial velocity set to 54 m/s, gather data to fill in the table below. Record the initial
𝑣 and 𝑣 before the ball is struck by reading the values at the bottom of the screen. Record the time of
𝑥 𝑦
flight (above the 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 slider). Use your mouse to hover over the point where the ball lands to find the
range (make sure the Y coordinate is zero). You do not need to perform any calculations!
Launch Angle, Initial horizontal velocity Initial vertical velocity Time, Range
θ (deg) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑣 (m/s) t (s) 𝑑 (m)
𝑥 𝑦 𝑥
20° 50.74 18.47 3.77 193.4
35° 44.23 30.97 6.32 279.2, 0.7
40° 41.37 34.7 7.08 293.7, 1.3
45° 38.18 38.18 7.79 299.0, 3.3
60° 27.00 46.77 9.54 257.4, 2.6
75° 13.98 52.16 10.64 150.5, 4.0
, a. What launch angle produced the farthest range? 45 °
b. How far did the ball travel at this launch angle? 299.0, 3.3 m
c. What launch angle produced the longest time? 85 °
d. What was the maximum time of flight? 10.98 s
e. What launch angle produced the greatest height? 85 °
f. Use the crosshair to determine the maximum height 150 m
3. Observe: Click and . Keep the initial velocity set to 54m/s and the angle to 45 °. Take a
swing. The curved path the ball takes is its trajectory. Look closely at the trajectory. Does it appear
symmetrical? Yes
4. Extend: Click , change the atmosphere to air: . Keep the initial velocity set to 54m/s
and the angle to 45 °. Take a swing. Look closely at the new trajectory. Does it appear symmetrical?
Yes Make an observation about how each of the following variables changed when air resistance was
included in the simulation:
Range (𝑑 ): Decrease
𝑥
Time of flight (t): Decrease
Maximum Height (𝑑 ): Decrease
𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑥
Activity B:
Click and check that is selected
Velocity Components
Turn off Show paths and Show Grid
You will need a calculator for this activity
Introduction: Velocity is an example of a vector quantity because it describes the speed and direction of an
object. The velocity of an object through space can be shown by two components: a horizontal component (v x)
and a vertical component (vy).
Question: How does the velocity of an object change as it flies through space? An object can change velocity in
a number of ways: it can slow down, it can speed up, or it can change direction. A change in speed, or a change
in direction, or a change in both speed and direction means that the object has a change in velocity.
1. Observe: Click . Turn on , set 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 to 70 m/s, and set θ to 60 degrees. Click
, and focus on the blue and red arrows that represent the vertical and horizontal components of the
golf ball’s velocity.
What do you notice about the blue 𝑣 arrow as the ball flies through the air?
𝑦 The higher the ball gets the smaller the arrow gets.
Projectile Gizmo Lab
The Golf Range Gizmo simulation will bring together all the concepts we’ve studied in 2-D motion. Remember,
to access Gimzos, you must log in to your My eCLASS portal and click on the Science - Gizmos - Explore
Learning icon in the Digital Textbook section Working with the Simulation: In the diagram below, you can see
the parts of the simulation and how each works.
When you click , you can watch the vector arrows as the golf ball follows the
parabolic trajectory. You should see the red arrows, which indicate the horizontal component of the velocity,
and the blue arrows, which represent the vertical component of the velocity:
When you check Show velocity components, you can see the numerical value of each.
Activity A:
Maximum Distance Click and check that is selected
Set 𝑣 to 54m/s and θ to 20 degrees
𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙
Question: What launch angle will produce the farthest range? The longest time of flight? The greatest
height? 50
1. Form hypothesis: What launch angle do you think will yield the farthest range? 40
What launch angle do you think will yield the longest time? 85
What launch angle do you think will yield the greatest height? 60
2. Gather Data: With the initial velocity set to 54 m/s, gather data to fill in the table below. Record the initial
𝑣 and 𝑣 before the ball is struck by reading the values at the bottom of the screen. Record the time of
𝑥 𝑦
flight (above the 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 slider). Use your mouse to hover over the point where the ball lands to find the
range (make sure the Y coordinate is zero). You do not need to perform any calculations!
Launch Angle, Initial horizontal velocity Initial vertical velocity Time, Range
θ (deg) 𝑣 (m/s) 𝑣 (m/s) t (s) 𝑑 (m)
𝑥 𝑦 𝑥
20° 50.74 18.47 3.77 193.4
35° 44.23 30.97 6.32 279.2, 0.7
40° 41.37 34.7 7.08 293.7, 1.3
45° 38.18 38.18 7.79 299.0, 3.3
60° 27.00 46.77 9.54 257.4, 2.6
75° 13.98 52.16 10.64 150.5, 4.0
, a. What launch angle produced the farthest range? 45 °
b. How far did the ball travel at this launch angle? 299.0, 3.3 m
c. What launch angle produced the longest time? 85 °
d. What was the maximum time of flight? 10.98 s
e. What launch angle produced the greatest height? 85 °
f. Use the crosshair to determine the maximum height 150 m
3. Observe: Click and . Keep the initial velocity set to 54m/s and the angle to 45 °. Take a
swing. The curved path the ball takes is its trajectory. Look closely at the trajectory. Does it appear
symmetrical? Yes
4. Extend: Click , change the atmosphere to air: . Keep the initial velocity set to 54m/s
and the angle to 45 °. Take a swing. Look closely at the new trajectory. Does it appear symmetrical?
Yes Make an observation about how each of the following variables changed when air resistance was
included in the simulation:
Range (𝑑 ): Decrease
𝑥
Time of flight (t): Decrease
Maximum Height (𝑑 ): Decrease
𝑦 𝑚𝑎𝑥
Activity B:
Click and check that is selected
Velocity Components
Turn off Show paths and Show Grid
You will need a calculator for this activity
Introduction: Velocity is an example of a vector quantity because it describes the speed and direction of an
object. The velocity of an object through space can be shown by two components: a horizontal component (v x)
and a vertical component (vy).
Question: How does the velocity of an object change as it flies through space? An object can change velocity in
a number of ways: it can slow down, it can speed up, or it can change direction. A change in speed, or a change
in direction, or a change in both speed and direction means that the object has a change in velocity.
1. Observe: Click . Turn on , set 𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 to 70 m/s, and set θ to 60 degrees. Click
, and focus on the blue and red arrows that represent the vertical and horizontal components of the
golf ball’s velocity.
What do you notice about the blue 𝑣 arrow as the ball flies through the air?
𝑦 The higher the ball gets the smaller the arrow gets.
