Projectile Launcher with Timber Base
Projectile Launcher with Timber Base
Student's name
First and last name, and class if you know it. This goes on the pack label.
Pickup available at Mega DC – Tweed Heads South
Usually ready in 24 hours
Fires marbles six metres - so set up the room first
Read this before you buy: this launcher throws a marble up to 6 metres. Eye protection, a clear firing line and a backstop are not optional. The supplier does not supply any of them.
Solid timber base, rotating angle projection, three spring loadings, a large protractor with five settings between 0 and 90 degrees. Spring constant 5 N/cm. Marbles and instructions included. $163.00.
Why this beats a simulation. Projectile motion is the topic where students most readily accept the maths without believing it. A launcher that actually puts a marble 6 metres down the corridor, and lands it where the calculation said it would, settles that.
Three spring loadings and five angles gives fifteen combinations, which is enough for a real investigation rather than a single demonstration - vary one, hold the other, plot the range.
The photogate mounting is the part senior physics will care about. The base is built so a photogate system attaches at the launch end and stays put whatever the angle is set to, which means muzzle velocity can be measured rather than assumed. Photogates are not included.
On the 45 degree claim. The supplier states the longest range is 6 metres at 45 degrees, which is what theory predicts for a projectile landing at launch height. Confirming that in the room is a good experiment in itself.
Large easy-to-read protractor, sturdy wood base. Marbles included; replacements are a separate line.