You can control the initial speed and launch angle of a ball, which then moves under the influence of gravity. Run the simulation using the original settings, and observe the motion and graphs.
Questions:
1. | What is the shape of the x-position graph? What is the shape of the y-position graph? Why are they different? |
2. | What is the shape of the x-velocity graph? What is the shape of the y-velocity graph? Why are they different? |
3. | How would the position graphs change if the ball's initial velocity were doubled to 10m/s? Sketch your prediction, change the initial velocity, and run the simulation. |
4. | What launch angle results in the longest horizontal range? Is the angle you obtain consistent with the claim made in your textbook? |
Air resistance can be added to the model for comparisons, although most questions you will address in your course will concern motion without air resistance.