Projectile Motion Virtual Lab

Accurate Projectile Motion Virtual Lab | OnlyGyaani
🎯 ONLYGYAANI VIRTUAL PHYSICS LAB

Projectile Motion Virtual Lab

Launch a projectile from an accurately aligned cannon and investigate how launch angle, velocity and gravity affect its trajectory, maximum height, range and flight time.

📐 Launch Angle 5°–85°
🚀 Initial Velocity 5–50 m/s
🌍 Gravity Earth • Moon • Mars
📈 Accurate Scale Same X/Y scale
🎯 Accurate Projectile Experiment
● READY
MAX HEIGHT LANDING 45° Ready to launch
🎛 Launch Controls
📐 Launch Angle 45°
5° 85°
🚀 Initial Velocity 25 m/s
5 m/s 50 m/s
🌍 Gravity 9.81 m/s²
Angle 45°
Initial Speed 25 m/s
Vx 17.68 m/s
Initial Vy 17.68 m/s
Maximum Height 15.93 m
Range 63.71 m
Flight Time 3.60 s
Scale —
Live projectile

Time: 0.00 s
Horizontal position: 0.00 m
Height: 0.00 m
Vertical velocity: 17.68 m/s
Accurate model

x = (v cos θ)t
y = (v sin θ)t − ½gt²

Vx = v cos θ
Vy = v sin θ − gt

R = v² sin(2θ) / g

🎯 50 Metre Challenge

Adjust the launch so the projectile lands as close as possible to 50 metres.
Current predicted range: 63.71 m

🎯 Aim

To investigate the relationship between launch angle, initial velocity, gravity and the trajectory of a projectile.

🧰 Apparatus

Virtual cannon, projectile, angle control, velocity control, distance scale, timer and trajectory display.

📘 Projectile Motion

Projectile motion consists of constant horizontal velocity and vertically accelerated motion when air resistance is ignored.

Horizontal:
x = Vx × t

Vertical:
y = Vy₀t − ½gt²

🧪 Experiment 1 — Launch Angle

Keep:

Velocity = 25 m/s
Gravity = Earth

Compare: 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 75°.

Record range and maximum height.

🧪 Experiment 2 — Launch Speed

Keep:

Angle = 45°
Gravity = Earth

Try: 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 m/s.

📊 Observation Table

Trial World Angle Speed Vx Vy₀ Height Range Flight Time
No launches recorded.

🔍 Expected Observations

At level launch and landing height, 45° gives maximum ideal range.
30° and 60° have the same ideal range for the same launch speed.
Increasing launch speed greatly increases range.
Lower gravity increases flight time, height and range.

📝 Procedure

  1. Select the launch angle.
  2. Select initial velocity.
  3. Select the gravitational environment.
  4. Observe the predicted trajectory.
  5. Press LAUNCH.
  6. Watch the projectile leave the cannon muzzle.
  7. Observe live time, position and velocity.
  8. Note the maximum height.
  9. Observe the exact landing position.
  10. Record the experiment.

💡 Remember

The projectile begins at the actual end of the cannon barrel.
The same metre-to-pixel scale is used horizontally and vertically.
At maximum height, vertical velocity is zero.
Air resistance is ignored in this ideal model.

🎓 Quick Viva

1. Why is projectile motion parabolic?

Horizontal velocity is constant while vertical motion has constant acceleration due to gravity, producing a parabolic trajectory.

2. What happens to vertical velocity at maximum height?

The vertical component of velocity becomes zero momentarily.

3. Which angle gives maximum range on level ground?

45° in the ideal model when launch and landing heights are equal.

4. Why do 30° and 60° give the same ideal range?

The range equation contains sin(2θ), and these complementary angles produce the same value of sin(2θ).

5. What happens when gravity decreases?

For the same initial speed and angle, flight time, maximum height and range increase.

✅ Experiment Result

The experiment demonstrates that projectile motion can be resolved into independent horizontal and vertical components. Launch angle, initial speed and gravity determine the trajectory, maximum height, time of flight and horizontal range.
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