LABScI
Projectiles: Target Practice
Angry Birds prepared them, but now pupils must prove their skills with projectiles! Scholars test different variables to determine which ones impact the distance the projectile flies. The experiment provides connections to kinetic and...
Curated OER
Trajectory and Range of a Projectile
Students investigate the factors affecting projectile trajectory. In this physics instructional activity, students calculate the range, time and speed of projectiles using mathematical equations.
Curated OER
Projectile Motion
Students determine the angle of launch that will give a projectile its greatest range. In this projectile motion lesson, students recognize that the motion of a projectile results from the combined horizontal and vertical velocities....
Curated OER
Projectile Motion Demonstration
Learners dicusss Newton's First Law of Motion. They calculate a projectile moving horizontally and vertically at different intervals. They particpate in an experiment in which the projectile is at an angle. They record and discuss the...
Curated OER
Angling for Distance
Explore the concept of projectile distance through determining the angle that will provide the maximum distance of a launched projectile. Students launch baseballs on a football field and video tape the path of the ball.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Trebuchet Toss
Young engineers work in teams to design and build their own trebuchets according to certain criteria; they must be able to launch a mini marshmallow accurately into a pie tin. Background reading material, a planning sheet for trebuchet...
Curated OER
Projectile Motion II
Students explore projectile motion and kinematics in two dimensions. They determine, using an adjustable projectile launcher, what angle makes a projectile go the highest.
Curated OER
Projectile Motion
Twelfth graders experiment with a projectile that is launched horizontally after a demonstration and small discussion about two pennies, one dropping from a table top and the other being slide off the top and hitting the ground at about...
Curated OER
Big Air Rules
Learners discuss projectile motion using a basketball player taking off for a slam dunk, a fly ball launched off a hitter's bat, and a snowboarder flying off a pipe as examples. The lesson is expanded by introducing the mathematical...
Curated OER
Study of Projectile Motion using Straw Rockets
Students design and launch their own rockets. In this experimental instructional activity students launch their own rockets and record the various angles and distance that they go. Each student has time to redesign their rocket and...
LABScI
Catapult: Flight of the Marshmallows
Watch your marshmallows fly. The engaging STEM activity has groups create a catapult to launch marshmallows. After testing their prototypes, they consider improvements and redesign their catapults.
Curated OER
Aerospace Engineering
Twelfth graders examine the physics of rocket flight. They build and launch model rockets to measure their performances.
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Marshmallow Catapaults
After a brief lecture on levers, torque, projectiles, and the five-step engineering design cycle, young physical science learners or engineers build catapults out of craft sticks. This is an open-ended exploration of what works and what...
Curated OER
Tiger Woods Physics
High schoolers comprehend the independence of vertical and horizontal velocity vectors. They calculate height, time of flight and range of projectile objects. Students perform derivation for range of same plane projectile motion. They...
Curated OER
Gravity, Angles, and Measurement
Young scholars relate math to real life scenarios. In this geometry lesson, students launch a ball tracking each launch using a graph. They analyze their data for speed, angles and distance, trying to improve on each launch.
Curated OER
Designing and Building Catapults
Seventh graders complete a challenge to create a catapult that projects a marble or other projectile at least one meter. While experimenting they apply the Four Question Strategy to answer the question, " How can I make one modification...
EngageNY
Graphs of Quadratic Functions
How high is too high for a belly flop? Learners analyze data to model the world record belly flop using a quadratic equation. They create a graph and analyze the key features and apply them to the context of the video.
Curated OER
Analyzing Motion of a Tossed Ball
Students investigate the parameters involved with launching a basketball at an angle. In this motion lesson students predict and sketch graphs that show the motion of a ball toss.
Curated OER
Exterior Ballistics
Students explore velocity and trajectory. Using exterior ballistics rules, students predetermine the path of an artillery shell. Given equations and the firing angle, students determine the velocity and horizontal travel. Students...
Curated OER
Paper Rockets
Students design, construct, and fly paper rockets that travel the greatest distance possible across a floor model of the solar system. They construct small flying rockets out of paper and propel them by blowing air through a straw.
Curated OER
Bottle Rocket Launcher
Students construct a bottle rocket launcher for use with the Bottle Rocket and Project X-35 activities. They construct a bottle launcher from "off-the-shelf" hardware and wood using simple tools.
Curated OER
Catapult Unit
Students understand the need for carefully defining the problem before searching for a solution. They understand the need for carefully defining the problem before searching for a solution. Students compare a variety of catapults and the...
Curated OER
Prisoners in Another War
Students identify violations of the Geneva Convention in video clips. They discover the role of international bodies in dealing with war crimes. They read primary source documents as well.