Mastering Projectile Motion: How to Find Angle & Velocity of a Catapult

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around methods for determining the angle and velocity of a catapult in the context of projectile motion. Participants explore various approaches to measure these parameters, considering both practical and theoretical aspects.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests measuring the horizontal distance the projectile travels and using projectile motion equations, noting the need for initial velocity.
  • Another proposes using a protractor attached to the catapult to measure the launch angle or recording the launch to analyze the angle in slow motion.
  • A different approach involves measuring the time of flight and horizontal distance to calculate horizontal velocity.
  • One participant emphasizes the importance of height to determine the initial speed in the vertical direction and suggests using trigonometry to find overall velocity and angle.
  • Another participant recommends setting up a video recording from the side to trace the projectile's path, suggesting the use of a grid for accuracy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple methods for measuring angle and velocity, indicating a lack of consensus on a single approach. Various techniques are discussed without agreement on the best method.

Contextual Notes

Some methods depend on specific setups, such as the use of video recording and gridlines, which may not be universally applicable. Additionally, assumptions about air resistance and the size of the catapult are mentioned but not resolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students or hobbyists interested in experimental physics, particularly those working on projects involving projectile motion and catapults.

insanitytest
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I built a catapult for my physics class and we are required to find the angle and velocity of the catapult (projectile motion). I'm not entirely sure how to do this, can anyone explain please?
 
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There are several ways to do this. One is measuring the horizontal distance the proyectile reaches when you launch your catapult on a horizontal surface. Then you can use proyectile equations...however you will need to know the initial velocity.
It really depends on your catapult. You could paste a protractor to your catapult and see the angle it reaches at the moment it releases the proyectiles, or if you want to do it more accurately, you could record it, so that later, using slowmotion you can see exactly the angle, using the protractor as reference. Other ways include measuring the time of flight and the horizontal distance to find horizontal velocity.
Lol, let's see what other forumers have to say.
 
Last edited:
student85 said:
Lol, let's see what other forumers have to say.
What the hell happened to your 'j' key? :confused:
 
lol... "j" key----was it his mistake of using the word proyectiles?!

it is projectiles, isn't it?
 
Jes. :biggrin:
 
lol. english is not my first language. in spanish it´s proyectiles. haha excuse me.
 
insanitytest said:
I built a catapult for my physics class and we are required to find the angle and velocity of the catapult (projectile motion). I'm not entirely sure how to do this, can anyone explain please?

find how high and how far it goes, if it's a moderately sized catapult air resistance shouldn't be a problem... take the height to figure out it's original speed in ^ that direction, then take the distance along with it's flight time to find it's speed(which should remain close to constant) in > that direction... then take these to speeds, and use trig to figure out the velocity and the angle of it...
 
student85 said:
lol. english is not my first language. in spanish it´s proyectiles.
No problem, pal. I rather figured that such was the case. My post certainly wasn't meant to ridicule you; I just saw the opportunity for a joke and went for it. (And although I can't speak it, I'm actually part Spanish myself.)
 
I would try to measure it by setting up a video recorder perfectly side on from your catapult and taking repeat recordings. Try to set up a screen behind your catapult with square gridlines (number the rows and columns for reference) and get everything nice and horizontal, then if you can get a digital image on your computer you can trace the path quite accurately. Ideally you want to be a fair distance to minimise error, if you've got a good zoom use it.
 

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