College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
1D60.40 - Projectile Motion - Spring Gun
Set the spring gun to the desired angle against the white background. Use one of the black balls out of the happy sad ball set as the projectile. Set the meter stick on the bottom of the background so that you can scale the video captured movie if desired.
The projectile motion sticks can be stuck to the blackboard with the attached magnets. Faster or slower projectile launch velocities can be shown by tilting the meter stick one way or the other.
- Fabian B. Wadsworth, Edward W. Llewellin, Jeremie Vasseur, "An Analytical Solution for the Motion of a Projectile Accounting for Drag in the Case of Vertical Launch", TPT, Vol. 62, #6, Sept. 2024, p. 497.
- Pei Xiong, Spencer Buckner, William R. Longhurst, "Using a Graphic Method for the Projectile Motion Lab", TPT, Vol. 62, #6, Sept. 2024, p. 484.
- Jan Fiala, "Projectile Motion: More Geometry, More Physics", TPT, Vol. 62, #3, March 2024, p. 210.
- Jeffrey D. Marx, "A Unifying Rule for Maximizing the Range or Minimizing the Launch and Impact Speed of a Projectile Along a Tilted Plane", TPT, Vol. 61, #9, Dec. 2023, p. 739.
- K. P. Trout, Mark Ilyes, "The Tarzan Swing - 25 Year Later and Still Jumping", TPT, Vol. 61, #8, Nov. 2023, p. 666.
- Jeffrey Marx, "The Optimal Throwing Angle for a "Soft" Toss", TPT, Vol. 61, #1, Jan. 2023, p. 4
- Peter Chudinov, Vladimir Eltyshev, Yuri Barykin, "Projectile Motion in Midair Using Simple Analytical Approximations", TPT, Vol. 60, #9, Dec. 2022, p. 774.
- Olimpio Pereira de Sa Neto, Herbert Jose Aquino Sousa, Rafael Ferreira da Silva, "Reparameterization of Two-Dimensional Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 60, #9, Dec. 2022, p. 772.
- Rod Cross, "Trajectory Calculations with Lift an Drag", TPT, Vol. 60, #6, Sept. 2022, p. 433.
- Carl E. Mungan, "Optimizing the Launch of a Projectile to Hit a Target", TPT, Vol. 55, #9, Dec. 2017, p. 528.
- Radhakrishnamurty Padyala, "A Hidden Cirlce in a Family of Projectile Paths", TPT, Vol. 58, #2, Feb. 2020, p. 116.
- Radhakrishnamurty Padyala, "An Alternate View of the Elliptic Property of a Family of Projectile Paths", TPT, Vol. 57, #6, Sept. 2019, p. 376.
- Irany Vera Manrique, Gabriela Rivadeneyra Gutiérrez, and David Alejandro Martínez González, "Kinetic Friction: Time Upward and Downward", TPT, Vol. 57, #3, Mar. 2019, p. 142.
- David L. Herrick, "The Effect of Projectile Weight on the Optimum Launch Angle and Range", TPT, Vol. 56, #9, Dec. 2018, p. 584.
- Elya Courtney, Collin Morris, and Michael Courtney, "Accurate Radar Measurements of Drag Coefficients in Free Flight", TPT, Vol. 56, #8, Nov. 2018, p. 530.
- Philip Blanco, "Air Drag in the Projectile Lab", TPT, Vol. 56, #5, May 2018, p. 276.
- Joseph Amato, "Using Elementary Mechanics to Estimate the Maximum Range of ICBMs", TPT, Vol. 56, #4, Apr. 2018, p. 210.
- Connor Jordan, Amy Dunn, Zachary Armstrong, and Wendy Adams, "Projectile Motion Hoop Challenge", TPT, Vol. 56, #4, Apr. 2018, p. 200.
- Pirooz Mohazzabi, "When Does Air Resistance Become Significant in Projectile Motion?", TPT, Vol. 56, #3, Mar. 2018, p. 168.
- Carlos H. Wörner, "Circular Motion Redux", TPT, Vol. 55, #3, Mar. 2017, p. 132.
- Nikola Poljak, "Maximum Range of a Projectile Thrown from Constant-Speed Circular Motion", TPT, Vol. 54, #8, Nov. 2016, p. 472.
- Carl E. Mungan, "Analytically Solving Tarzan's Dilemma", TPT, Vol. 52, #1, Jan. 2014, p. 6.
- Matthew Rave and Marcus Sayers, "Tarzan's Dilemma: A Challenging Problem for Introductory Physics Students", TPT, Vol. 51, #8, Nov. 2013, p. 456.
- Justin M. Sanders and Michael W. Boleman, "Corrected Launch Speed for a Projectile Motion Laboratory", TPT, Vol. 51, #6, Sept. 2013, p. 359.
- Richard P. Hechter, "Hockey, iPads, and Projectile Motion in a Physics Classroom", TPT, Vol. 51, #6, Sept. 2013, p. 346.
- Boris Busic, "A Simple Solution for Maximum Range of Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 51, #1, Jan. 2013, p. 52.
- Chad Orzel, Gary Reich, and Jonathan Marr, "Exploring Uncertainty With Projectile Launchers", TPT, Vol. 50, #9, Dec. 2012, p. 546.
- David Kagan, "An Inexpensive Mechanical Model for Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 49, #5, May 2011, p. 265.
- Ronald Newburgh, "A Trick of Gravity", TPT, Vol. 48, #6, Sept. 2010, p. 401.
- Peter W. Dion and Anthony M. H. Ho, "Getting Rid of Gravity - Alternative Ways of Looking at Trajectories", TPT, Vol. 48, #4, Apr. 2010, p. 258.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics: Cannonball", TPT, Vol. 44, #7, Oct. 2006, p. 469.
- Iain MacInnes, "An Inexpensive Demonstration of Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 44, #6, Sept. 2006, p. 364.
- Ian MacInnes, "Notes on a Demonstration of Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 44, #2, Feb. 2006, p. 120.
- Ole Anton Haughland, "Projectile Motion: Geometric Arguments", TPT, Vol. 43, #7, Oct. 2005, p. 405.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics: General Relativity", TPT, Vol. 43, #4, Apr. 2005, p. 243.
- Jon Lamoreux and Luis Phillipe Tosi, "The Maximum Height in Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 43, #3, Mar. 2005, p. 183.
- D. Bittel, "Maximizing the Range of a Projectile Launched by a Simple Pendulum", TPT, Vol. 43, #2, Feb. 2005, p. 98.
- Pirooz Mohazzabi and Zahra A. Kohneh, "Projectile Motion Without Trigonometric Function", TPT, Vol. 43, #2, Feb. 2005, p. 114.
- Daniel M. Smith Jr., "Analysis of a Projectile Motion Problem in a Free-Fall Frame", TPT, Vol. 42, #4, Apr. 2004, p. 236.
- Sean Cordry, "Projectile Motion Model", TPT, Vol. 41, #7, Oct. 2003, p. 430.
- John Pratt, "Figuring Physics: A Full Solution and a Challenging Problem", TPT, Vol. 41, #4, Apr. 2003, p. 220.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics: Projectile", TPT, Vol. 40, #6, Sept. 2002, p. 373.
- Robert Weinstock, "Cannon's Recoil Against a Tree: How the Range Increases", TPT, Vol. 40, #4, Apr. 2002, p. 210.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 39, #8, Nov. 2001, p. 480.
- Hui Hu and Jinyun Yu, "Another Look at Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 38, #7, Oct. 2000, p. 423.
- M. I. Molina, "More on Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 38, #2, Feb. 2000, p. 90.
- Andrew DePino, Jr., "Easy Projectile- Motion Demonstrations", TPT, Vol. 37, #5, May 1999, p. 266.
- David L. Taylor, "Going Up and Coming Down", TPT, Vol. 37, #5, May 1999, p. 262.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics: Free Fall", TPT, Vol. 37, #3, Mar. 1999, p. 183.
- Haiduke Sarafian, "On Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 37, #2, Feb. 1999, p. 86.
- Mark Vondracek, "Electrical Analog to Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 36, #4, Apr. 1998, p. 224.
- Eugenia Etkina, Brian Holton, and George Horton, "Planar Motion, Complex Numbers, and Falling Leaves: An Intriguing Minilab", TPT, Vol. 36, #3, Mar. 1998, p. 135.
- Neil M. Shea, "Do Projectiles Always Deviate to the Right in the Northern Hemisphere?", TPT, Vol. 34, #8, Nov. 1996, p. 480.
- Carl J. Wenning and Hans Muehsler, "Nondirected Research Projects in Physics Coursework", TPT, Vol. 34, #3, Mar. 1996, p. 158.
- W. Herreman, "The Return Ellipse", TPT, Vol. 34, #1, Jan. 1996, p. 6.
- James S. Walker, "Projectiles: Are They Coming or Going?", TPT, Vol. 33, #5, May 1995, p. 282.
- Richard Masada and Bruce Denardo, "Removing the Errors", TPT, Vol. 33, #5, May 1995, p. 262.
- Jeffrey W. Schinik, "Projectile Motion Details", TPT, Vol. 32, #4, Apr. 1994, p. 266.
- Alex Trier, "Projectile Motion: An Alternative Description", TPT, Vol. 31, #3, Mar. 1993, p. 182.
- Michael A. Day and Martin H. Walker, "Experimenting with the National Guard: Field Artillery Gunnery", TPT, Vol. 31, #3, Mar. 1993, p. 136.
- Ronald A. Brown, "Maximizing the Range of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 30, #6, Sept. 1992, p. 344.
- Mohammed C. Mirzaa, "Too Much 'g'", TPT, Vol. 30, #6, Sept. 1992, p. 326.
- Carey S. Inouye and Eric W. T. Chong, "Maximum Range of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 30, #3, Mar. 1992, p. 168.
- Peter M. Hall, "Hallway Projectile Demonstrator", TPT, Vol. 30, #3, Mar. 1992, p. 167.
- Larry D. Johnson, "The Path of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 30, #2, Feb. 1992, p. 104.
- Marcelo Alonso, "Eschew Obfuscation", TPT, Vol. 29, #9, Dec. 1991, p. 549.
- B. Bagchi and Paul Holody, "Study of Projectile Motion by Angular Momentum and Torque", TPT, Vol. 29, #6, Sept. 1991, p. 376.
- Tom Southworth, "Potential Energy Analysis of a Bow", TPT, Vol. 28, #1, Jan. 1990, p. 42.
- R. D. Edge, "A Physical Fountain", TPT, Vol. 26, #5, May 1988, p. 294.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 25, #7, Oct. 1987, p. 458.
- Angus Scott, "A New Slant on Projectile Motion?", TPT, Vol. 25, #2, Feb. 1987, p. 93.
- Paul Hewitt, "Figuring Physics", TPT, Vol. 25, #1, Jan. 1987, p. 54.
- Emiliano Salinas, Eduardo Verdin, Horacio Munguia, Raul Perez, Saul Robles, and M. Enrique Alvarez, "Projectile Motion Board", TPT, Vol. 24, #8, Nov. 1986, p. 495.
- Robert S. Knox, "Dropping Shoes", TPT, Vol. 24, #4, Apr. 1986, p. 200.
- Gregory Jakovidis and William Jeffries, "How Would Your Students Solve This Problem?", TPT, Vol. 23, #6, Sept. 1985, p. 357.
- Richard B. Minnix and D. Rae Carpenter, Jr., "A Versatile Projectile Motion Board", TPT, Vol. 22, #6, Sept. 1984, p. 402.
- Carlos H. Esparza, "Parabolic Trajectory of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 22, #6, Sept. 1984, p. 385.
- Ole Anton Haugland, "A Puzzle in Elementary Ballistics", TPT, Vol. 21, #4, Apr. 1983, p. 246.
- Albert A. Bartlett, "Wonder Anesthetized", TPT, Vol. 18, #7, Oct. 1980, p. 488, also A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas - Mechanics, p. 48.
- Billy Tolar, "The Water Drop Parabola", TPT, Vol. 18, #5, May 1980, p. 371, also A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas - Mechanics, p. 48.
- Ellis D. Noll, "Simple Projectile Motion Made Simple", TPT, Vol. 16, #8, Nov. 1978, p. 566.
- Richard A. D. Hewko, "Range of a Projectile Revisited", TPT, Vol. 16, #8, Nov. 1978, p. 563.
- John F. Goehl, Jr., "A Modified Experiment", TPT, Vol. 16, #6, Sept. 1978, p. 344.
- Joseph C. Baiera, "Analysis of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 16, #1, Jan. 1978, p. 33.
- Paul Latimer, "A Bouncing Superball - The Poor Man's Projectile", TPT, Vol. 15, #8, Nov. 1977, p. 485, also A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas - Mechanics, p. 39.
- Dorothy M. Baldwin, "Using the Tennis Ball Serving Machine", TPT, Vol. 15, #7, Oct. 1977, p. 432.
- William S. Porter, "The Range of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 15, #6, Sept. 1977, p. 358.
- Robert Kern Curtis, "Rubber Band Lab", TPT, Vol. 12, #8, Nov. 1974, p. 452.
- John Dowling, Jr., and George H. Mullen, "Rubber Band Lab", TPT, Vol. 12, #4, Apr. 1974, p. 231.
- Van E. Neie, "Projectile Motion and Circular Orbits", TPT, Vol. 12, #2, Feb. 1974, p. 102.
- Edwin Paul Heideman, "Range of a Dart Gun", TPT, Vol. 11, #6, Sept. 1973, p. 362.
- C. A. Eckroth, "Geometric Proof of the Maximum Range Equation for a Projectile Over Level Ground", TPT, Vol. 10, #8, Nov. 1972, p. 465.
- William E. Cooper, "Predicting the Range of a Spring Cannon", TPT, Vol. 10, #2, Feb. 1972, p. 94, also A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas - Mechanics, p. 43.
- J. Gibson Winans, "Trajectories Without Trigonometry", TPT, Vol. 9, #6, Sept. 1971, p. 341.
- Douglas J. Haas, "Projectiles", TPT, Vol. 9, #5, May 1971, p. 261.
- John R. Martin, "Comparison of Ascent and Descent Times for a Vertically Projected Object", TPT, Vol. 9, #3, Mar. 1971, p. 149.
- H. L. Armstrong, "Comment on Trajectories Without Trigonometry", TPT, Vol. 9, #1, Jan. 1971, p. 41.
- Ralph Vesecky, "Solving the Trajectory Problem without Trigonometry", TPT, Vol. 8, #5, May 1970, p. 263.
- Kalman B. Pomeranz, "The Time of Ascent and Descent of a Vertically Thrown Object in the Atmosphere", TPT, Vol. 7, #9, Dec. 1969, p. 507.
- Alfred M. Eich, Jr., "Range of a Projectile", TPT, Vol. 7, #2, Feb. 1969, p. 116.
- John P. Cise, "Projectile Motion Using the Linear Air Track", TPT, Vol. 6, #2, Feb. 1968, p. 78.
- Luis Manuel Tobaja et al., "Tracking Parabolic Trajectories with a Mobile Phone", TPT, Vol. 61, #4, Apr. 2023, p. 268.
- Lior M. Burko and Richard H. Price, "Ballistic Trajectory: Parabola, Ellipse, or What?", AJP, Vol. 73, #6, June 2005, p. 516.
- Sean M. Stewart, "Linear Resisted Projectile Motion and the Lambert W Function", AJP, Vol. 73, #3, Mar. 2005, p. 199.
- Arjun Tan, "On an Elliptical Property of Parabolic Trajectories", AJP, Vol. 73, #3, Mar. 2005, p. 197.
- R. D. H. Warburton and J. Wang, "Analysis of Asymptotic Projectile Motion With Air Resistance Using the Lambert W Function", AJP, Vol. 72, #11, Nov. 2004, p. 1404.
- J. L. Fernandez-Chapou, A. L. Salas-Brito, and C. A. Vargas, "An Elliptical Property of Parabolic Trajectories", AJP, Vol. 72, #8, Aug. 2004, p. 1109.
- Richard H. Price and Joseph D. Romano, "Aim High and Go Far—Optimal Projectile Launch Angles Greater Than 45°", AJP, Vol. 66, #2, Feb. 1998, p. 109.
- Michael A. B. Deakin and G. J. Troup, "Approximate Trajectories for Projectile Motion with Air Resistance", AJP, Vol. 66, #1, Jan. 1998, p. 34.
- C. W. Groetsch, "On the Optimal Angle of Projection in General Media", AJP, Vol. 65, #8, Aug. 1997, p. 797.
- H. R. Kemp, "Trajectories of Projectiles in Air for Small Times of Flight", AJP, Vol. 55, #12, Dec. 1987, p. 1099.
- Philip A. Macklin, "Projectile Motion Maxima - An Omnipresent Orthogonality", AJP, Vol. 55, #10, Oct. 1987, p. 947.
- A. Tan and A. C. Giere, "Maxima Problems in Projectile Motion", AJP, Vol. 55, #8, Aug. 1987, p. 750.
- A. Tan, C. H. Frick, and O. Castillo, "The Fly Ball Trajectory: An Older Approach Revisited", AJP, Vol. 55, #1, Jan. 1987, p. 37.
- J. A. Zufiria and J. R. Sanmartin, "Erratum: 'Influence of Air Drag on the Optimal Hand Launching of a Small, Round Projectile'", AJP, Vol. 50, #11, Nov. 1982, p. 1049.
- J. A. Zufiria and J.R. Sanmartin, "Influence of Air Drag on the Optimal Hand Launching of a Small, Round Projectile", AJP, Vol. 50, #1, Jan. 1982, p. 59.
- R. Dean Ayers, "Simple Device for Representing Trajectories", AJP, Vol. 47, #12, Dec. 1979, p. 1097.
- F. D. Medina, "Looking at Projectile Motion from a Different Angle", AJP, Vol. 46, #12, Dec. 1978, p. 1282.
- G. W. Parker, "Projectile Motion with Air Resistance Quadratic in the Speed", AJP, Vol. 45, #7, July 1977, p. 606.
- Donald F. Kirwan and Jack Willis, "Notes on a Projectile Motion Experiment", AJP, Vol. 42, #9, Sept. 1974, p. 775.
- Robert L. Alt, "A Corrupted Ballistic Pendulum", AJP, Vol. 40, #11, Nov. 1972, p. 1688.
- G. Preston Burns, "Effect of Rotation of the Earth on Range of a Projectile", AJP, Vol. 40, #10, Oct. 1972, p. 1536.
- Owen E. Thompson, "Coriolis Deflection of a Ballistic Projectile", AJP, Vol. 40, #10, Oct. 1972, p. 1477.
- Eric R. Muller, "A Note on: "Deflection of Projectiles due to Rotation of the Earth", AJP, Vol. 40, #7, July 1972, p. 1045.
- G. Preston Burns, "Deflection of Projectiles Due to Rotation of the Earth", AJP, Vol. 39, #11, Nov. 1971, p. 1329.
- T. Walley Williams, III, "Simple Apparatus for Three Lecture Demonstrations", AJP, Vol. 31, #1, Jan. 1963, p. 42.
- Michael C. LoPresto, "Graphs Make Determination of Projectile Height and Range Easy", Physics Education, Vol. 40, #4, July 2005, p. 316.
- "M-166. Strobe Photo Analog", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook, 1993.
- Jodi and Roy McCullough, "Projectile Motion with a Dart Gun", The Role of Toys in Teaching Physics", p. 3.6.
- David Kutliroff, "38, Range of Projectiles", 101 Classroom Demonstrations and Experiments For Physics Teachers, p. 87.
- Borislaw Bilash II and David Maiullo, "Rollerball", A Demo a Day: A Year of Physics Demonstrations, p. 45 - 46.
- Curt Suplee, "Gravity's Rainbow shapes", Everyday Science Explained, National Geographic, p. 80 - 81.
- Julius Sumner Miller, Q191 & A191, Millergrams II – Some More Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds, p. 53 & 105.
- Julius Sumner Miller, Q192 & A192, Millergrams II – Some More Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds, p. 53 & 105.
- Julius Sumner Miller, Q227 & A227, Millergrams II – Some More Enchanting Questions for Enquiring Minds, p. 71 & 117.
Disclaimer: These demonstrations are provided only for illustrative use by persons affiliated with The University of Iowa and only under the direction of a trained instructor or physicist. The University of Iowa is not responsible for demonstrations performed by those using their own equipment or who choose to use this reference material for their own purpose. The demonstrations included here are within the public domain and can be found in materials contained in libraries, bookstores, and through electronic sources. Performing all or any portion of any of these demonstrations, with or without revisions not depicted here entails inherent risks. These risks include, without limitation, bodily injury (and possibly death), including risks to health that may be temporary or permanent and that may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition; and property loss or damage. Anyone performing any part of these demonstrations, even with revisions, knowingly and voluntarily assumes all risks associated with them.