Cannon Definition and 194 Threads

A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, and usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder during the late 19th century. Cannons vary in gauge, effective range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield.
The word cannon is derived from several languages, in which the original definition can usually be translated as tube, cane, or reed. In the modern era, the term cannon has fallen into decline, replaced by guns or artillery, if not a more specific term such as howitzer or mortar, except for high-caliber automatic weapons firing bigger rounds than machine guns, called autocannons.
The earliest known depiction of cannons appeared in Song dynasty China as early as the 12th century; however, solid archaeological and documentary evidence of cannons do not appear until the 13th century. In 1288 Yuan dynasty troops are recorded to have used hand cannon in combat, and the earliest extant cannon bearing a date of production comes from the same period. By the early 14th century, depictions of cannon had appeared in the Middle East and Europe, and recorded usage of cannon began appearing almost immediately after. By the end of the 14th century, cannons were widespread throughout Eurasia. Cannons were used primarily as anti-infantry weapons until around 1374, when large cannons were recorded to have breached walls for the first time in Europe. Cannons featured prominently as siege weapons, and ever larger pieces appeared. In 1464 a 16,000 kg (35,000 lbs) cannon known as the Great Turkish Bombard was created in the Ottoman Empire. Cannons as field artillery became more important after 1453, with the introduction of limber, which greatly improved cannon maneuverability and mobility. European cannons reached their longer, lighter, more accurate, and more efficient "classic form" around 1480. This classic European cannon design stayed relatively consistent in form with minor changes until the 1750s.

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  1. S

    Calculating Projectile Trajectory Without Air Resistance

    Greetings, Before I begin my problem, I would like to confess that I understand almost nothing about physics. My math is limited to what I am doing in class right now as a ninth grader ( I understand quadratics...). I am doing a research project, and I need some help. Homework Statement...
  2. L

    In Ensteins theroy of gravity.when a cannon ball is fired up,it

    in Ensteins theroy of gravity. when a cannon ball is fired up,it slows to a stop due to friction.at the moment it stops going upwhy does it go back towards the earth. because there is no force acting on it.there are no force particles or fields there are just paths created by masses.but these...
  3. F

    Spring cannon, initial velocity, and compression

    Homework Statement Part a.) You launch a 0.5 kg water balloon with a spring cannon in order to his someone 20m away. The spring in the cannon has a spring constant of 350 N/m. The spring cannon fires the balloon at a 30 degree angle with respect to the ground. What is the initial velocity...
  4. T

    Need some help on a spring cannon problem

    Homework Statement Launch a .8 kg ball from a spring cannon in order to hit a target 25m away, the cannon fires at 45 degrees relative to the ground, what is the initial velocity necessary for the ball to make the distance. spring constant is 425 N/m. Homework Equations fspring=-kx...
  5. R

    What Initial Pressure and Volume Are Required to Fire a Pellet at 100 m/s?

    Homework Statement 1.75 J is required to fire a spherical pellet of radius 8.75 mm at a maximum velocity of 100 m/s Find appropriate values for the inital pressure and volume and final pressure and volume Homework Equations Adiabatic Expansion P_{1}V_{1}^{\gamma}=P_{2}V_{2}^{\gamma}...
  6. M

    Is this the right equation to use?

    Homework Statement A cannon ball is fired with speed v0 at an angle phi above the horizontal. The launch point is at height h above the ground. Find the time to hit the ground, and the magnitude of the velocity when the ball hits the ground (in terms of v0, g, h, \phi) Homework Equations...
  7. stripes

    Calculating Work and Energy in a Spring Loaded Cannon

    Homework Statement A football with a mass of 0.40 kg is placed into a spring loaded cannon with k = 400 N/m. The spring is compressed by 50.0 cm. a.) find the work done on the football by the spring as the football moves from the compressed position to its equilibrium position. The cannon...
  8. S

    Cannon & Cliff: Minimum Muzzle Velocity & Horizontal Flight

    a cannon located 60m from the base of a vertical 25m tall cliff, shoots a 15kg shall at 43 degrees above the horizontal toward the cliff (a) what must the minimum muzzle velocity be for the shell to clear the top of the cliff? (b) the ground at the top of the cliff is level, with a constant...
  9. H

    Max Range of a Cannon with Muzzle Speed 322 m/s

    Homework Statement On level ground, what is the maximum range (in m) of a cannon with muzzle speed 322 m/s? Please take a look at this: http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af79/huybinhs/cannon2.gif Homework Equations R = (V0^2 * sin2angles)/g The Attempt at a Solution...
  10. C

    Projectile motion, water cannon into storage tank

    Homework Statement A water hose is used to fill a large cylindrical storage tank of diameter D and height 2D. The hose shoots water at 45 degrees above the horizontal from the same level as the base of the tank and is at a distance 6D away. For what range of launch speeds will the water enter...
  11. T

    Answer Mech Energy of 32kg Cannon Ball at Max Height

    Homework Statement A 32 kg cannon ball is fired from a cannon with muzzle speed of 1360 m/s at an angle of 44◦ with the horizontal. The acceleration of gravity is 9.8 m/s2 . What is the total mechanical energy at the maximum height of the ball? Answer in units of J. Homework Equations...
  12. Y

    Cannon ball fired at castle - kinematics

    Homework Statement A cannon fires a 10.0kg cannon ball 1.0m above the ground and at 20o to the horizontal with an initial speed of 100m/s. A castle 500m away has a wall 24.3m high. At what distance above the castle wall does the cannon ball pass? Homework Equations Δx = Vit + 1/2at2...
  13. F

    Cannon and coefficient of friction between ground

    Homework Statement A 3000kg cannon fires a 14 kg shell horizontally with a muzzle velocity of 450m/s. The cannon recoils for a distance of 2.5m before coming to a stop. What is the coefficient of friction between the cannon and the ground that it rests upon? mcannon= 3000kg mball=14kg...
  14. I

    Projectile motion toy cannon problem

    Homework Statement a toy cannon is placed on a ramp that has a slope of angle beta. if the cannonball is projected up the hill at an angle of theta above the horizontal and has a muzzle speed of V, show that the range R of the cannonball (as measured along the ramp) is given by...
  15. J

    Cannon Question: Loose Cannon Velocity

    Homework Statement A cannon of mass 5.80 x 10^3 kg is rigidly bolted to the Earth so it can recoil only by a negligible amount. The cannon fires an 85.0-kg shell horizontally with an initial velocity of +551 m/s. Suppose the cannon is then unbolted from the Earth and no external force hinders...
  16. T

    Projectile Motion cannon off a cliff

    Okay there is an object being shot from a cannon at an angle off a cliff. You are given the distance from the bottom of the cliff, the initial velocity, and the height of the cliff. What is an equation that would use these knowns to give you the measure of the angle that the object was shot at...
  17. P

    Find a Problem for Cannon Ball Using GNU Octave

    Hi to all! My teacher told me to find a problem from the internet based on Cannon throwing a ball, and then to try to solve it using gnu octave. My problem is that I didnt find any problem with cannon ball Can you please tell me where to find? or give me a problem ? I don't need help...
  18. P

    Finding a Cannon Problem to Solve with GNU Octave

    Hi to all! My teacher told me to find a problem from the internet based on Cannon throwing a ball, and then to try to solve it using gnu octave. My problem is that I didnt find any problem with cannon. Can you please tell me where to find? Best Regards
  19. J

    How does the mass of a cannon affect the speed of a fired cannonball?

    Homework Statement So I know that a cannon weighs 2220 kg and a cannon ball weighs 19.5 kg and that when you fire the cannon at 102 m/s the speed of the cannon is .895m/s in the opposite direction. part B of the problem asks how much faster would the ball travel is the cannon was mounted...
  20. M

    How Is the Horizontal Distance of a Cannon Ball Calculated on a Sloped Surface?

    A cannon ball is fired from an angle o with an intial velocity of v. The hill sklopes down with an angle of O. Prove that the horizontal distance the cannon ball travels is given by dx= 2v2cos(o)sin(O+o)/gcos(O) 2. Equations sin(O+o)=sin(O)cos(o)+sin(o)cos(O) d=1/2gt2 The Attempt...
  21. K

    Energy Loss & Height of Thrown Ball & Marble Fired from Cannon

    1. A ball with a mass of 0.5 kg is thrown straight up with an initial speed of 20 m/s. The ball reaches a maximum height of 15 m. (a) Give the energy loss due to air resistance. (b) What height would the ball have reached without air resistance? (c) What height would the ball have reached on the...
  22. R

    Calculating Impact Speed of 4.00kg Cannon Ball Dropped from 55.0m

    Homework Statement Using energy conservation and assuming negligible air resistance, calculate the impact speed of a 4.00 kg cannon ball after being dropped from a height of 55.0 m. Homework Equations KE sub total=KE sub 1+KE sub 2 speed=distance/time gravity=9.8 The Attempt at...
  23. M

    Cannon Fire! Senior Physics Research Project

    Cannon Fire! Can anyone please help me figre this one out; A senior physics class conducting a research project on projectile motion constructs a device that can launch a cricket ball. The launching device is designed so that the ball can be launced at ground level with an initial velocity...
  24. D

    A Medieval Knight attacking w/ a Cannon

    Anyone mind helping me strategically picking apart this word problem? I am taking physics for the first time in college and its kicking my ***, any insight on how to pick apart a problem like this and find an appropriate answer? Thank you for your time! Assume you are a Medieval knight...
  25. G

    How Do You Calculate the Range of a Cannon Ball on an Inclined Plane?

    1. A cannon mounted on a inclined plane launches a ball with initial speed v0 directly up the slope. The plane is inclined at angle phi above the horizontal, and the initial velocity is at angle theta above the plane. Using axes with x parallel to the plane and y normal to it, write out the x...
  26. C

    Air Cannon Physics: Projectile Motion Analysis

    I am a high school physics student and am building an air cannon to study projectile motion for our end-of-year project. I am trying to figure out what air pressure I need to propel a 1 lb projectile 100 ft/s. Here's what I have so far. Let me know if I'm right or wrong. Thanks...
  27. I

    Cannon Problem (Projectile motion)

    Homework Statement An Olympian in the long-jump goes into the jump with a speed of 11 m/s at an angle of 20 (degrees) above the horizontal. How far does the Olympian jump? Homework Equations Constant Acceleration Equations V=Vo + at The Attempt at a Solution I tried to set up a...
  28. F

    Elephant toothpaste experiment cannon?

    "elephant toothpaste experiment" cannon? I saw a video of an experiment called "elephant toothpaste" on youtube, where a guy put hydrogen peroxide and potassium iodine in a graduated cylinder, and it all foamed up, and went out of the graduated cylinder. If you put the chemicals in a pipe with...
  29. J

    How can I optimize the velocity and power of a Gauss Cannon with magnets?

    I am currently working on constructing a Gauss Cannon using the simple method of some chrome balls with a neodymium magnet on a track arranged thus: 0_____||0000____ so when the ball (0) on the left is released it is attracted by the two magnets (|) and smashed into them, and with the same...
  30. A

    Solve Momentum Puzzle: Recoiling Cannon

    http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/3747/cannonlr0.gif A circus cannon, which has a mass M = 5000 kg, is tilted at θ = 50°. When it shoots a projectile at v0 = 40 m/s with respect to the cannon, the cannon recoils along a horizontal track at vcannon = 0.5 m/s with respect to the ground...
  31. M

    Cannon shot on airless planet with x gravity

    I've been struggling with this problem for over two hours...PLEASE HELP! Homework Statement A huge cannon is assembled on an airless planet. The planet has a radius of 5.0 \times 10^{6}\;{\rm m} and a mass of 2.6 \times 10^{24}\;{\rm kg}. The cannon fires a projectile straight up at 3800...
  32. E

    Cannon fired from moving truck

    Hello everyone, I have a physics question for you all. A cannon fired from a truck at 5m/s. A cannon is fired in the same direction as the cannon. The velocity of the projectile is 50m/s. What angle will provide the greatest (distance in the x-driection) range for the projectile. I have...
  33. J

    Pressure in an air cannon- ODE

    Pressure in an air cannon-- ODE Homework Statement Okay, I'm designing an air cannon, and need to calculate the muzzle velocity. The only propelling force is the one caused by the pressure of the compressed air. Homework Equations I've been working with Boyle's law: P_0 V_0 = P_1 V_1...
  34. Y

    Projectile Motion Problems with Vectors and Angles

    Homework Statement A cannon located 60m from the base of a vertical 25 m cliff shoots a shell at 43 degrees above the horizontal. What is the minimum muzzle velocity be for the shell to clear the top of the cliff ? The ground at the top of the cliff is level, with constant elevation of 25 m...
  35. S

    What Angle Should a Cannon Be Fired to Hit a Target 2000m Away and 800m High?

    Okay another projectile motion question. I'm a bit confused by how to work this out. --- A cannon will a muzzle speed of 1000m/s is used to start an avalanche on a mountain slope. The target is 2000m from the cannon horizontally and 800m above the cannon. At what angle, above the horizontal...
  36. N

    Projectile Motion Cannon Question

    Im new to the forum, so.. hello everyone! I have a quick question on projectile motion that i can't seem to get... A cannon 60m from the base of a 25m high cliff shoots a 15kg projectile at 43 degrees above the horizon... (a)- what is the minimum muzzle velocity for the shell to...
  37. J

    Projectile Motion of shot cannon ball

    [SOLVED] Projectile Motion Homework Statement A cannon shoots a ball at an angle theta above the ground. Use Newton's second law to find the ball's position as a function of time g(t). What is the largest value of theta if g(t) is to increase throughout the ball's flight. Homework Equations...
  38. M

    What was the speed of the projectile when it left the cannon?

    Homework Statement A projectile is shot from the surface of te Earth by means of a very powerful cannon. If the projectile reaches a height of 35,000 m above Earth's surface, what was the speed of the projectile when it left the cannon? a. 355 m/s b. 827 m/s c. 710 m/s d. 906 m/s...
  39. J

    How Do You Calculate the Impact of a Cannonball on a Moving Car?

    Homework Statement A cannon is fired(from pt. A) at an angle of 38deg and with a Vo of 1000 ft/sec. A car leaves (from pt. C) at 30 mph heading towards the cannon. The cannon hits the truck at point B. a. Determine the horizontal distance R that the cannonball travels to hit the car. b. How...
  40. M

    Calculating Distance and Variables for a Plaster of Paris Cannon

    I have a cannon that fires blocks of plaster of paris what are the basic formulaes that i need in order to be able to calculate the angle in order to shoot a projectile a specified distance. I want to take as many variables into account such as air density and so forth (please give values) so...
  41. Y

    Cannon Hits Cliff: Calculating Minimum Muzzle Velocity & Distance Past Edge

    A connon, located 60 m from the base of a vertical 25.0m tall clift, shoots a 15 kg shell at 43.0 degrees above the horizontal toward the cliff. A) what must the minimum muzzle velocity be for the shell to clear the top of the cliff? B) The ground at the top of the cliff is level, with a...
  42. larkspur

    Play the Future Weapons Cannon Game

    I thought this was a fun game. http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/future-weapons/games/cannon/cannon.html"
  43. V

    Cannon Projectile Motion Problem

    [SOLVED] Projectile Motion Homework Statement You are shooting a cannon from a height of 11.23m off the ground. The target is 20.36m away. The angle of projection is 30 degrees. What does the initial speed need to be in order to hit the target? Homework Equations When I look at this...
  44. ~christina~

    Cannon connected to spring fires projectile

    Homework Statement A cannon is rigidly attached to a carriage which can move along horizontal rails but is connected to a post by a large spring, initially unstretched and with a force constant k= 2.00 x 10^4 N/m, as shown in figure below. The cannon fires a 200kg projectile at a velocity of...
  45. F

    Cannon Length: Why does it matter?

    Aiight, so I pose this question: does the length of a cannon change the distance the projectile is able to go? Essentially, say we have a cannon eight feet long, and a cannon twelve feet long; the projectiles in both have the same mass and, thus, the same gravitational pull. Why, then, would...
  46. P

    Projectile motion of cannon shell

    Homework Statement two problems. i am confused about their processes. they are almost the same but some things look strange. problem 1: A cannon on a level plain is aimed 50deg above the horizontal and a shell is fired with a muzzle velocity of 360m/s toward a vertical cliff 950 m away...
  47. W

    Air Cannon Theory Help (Internal Ballistics)

    I have built a pneumatic tennis ball lancher (with compressed air). I need to develop theory (i.e. equations and formula) to determine the velocity as the ball leaves the barrel. I have the projectile motion after the ball leaves the barrel down pretty well. I'm having issues acounting for...
  48. D

    Can We Build an Ion Cannon in 5-10 Years?

    Is it possible to build an ion cannon(it's a super weapon that orbits around the Earth in space) with the technology we currently have or will have within the next 5-10 yrs?
  49. M

    Developing an Algorithm for Calculating Range of Oerlikon 20 mm Auto-Cannon

    I've been assigned a relatively funky physics project, and the process of writing the algorithm for said project has completely stumped me. I have chosen to research the Oerlikon 20 mm auto-cannon, and have done all of my research and am at the point where I am supposed to write an...
  50. I

    Build a Ping Pong Ball Cannon with Limited Materials

    What's the best way to build a cannon to shoot an object the size of a ping pong ball when I have these limited materials. I'm really stuck on the best way to make it. Also, it has to have a trigger that is set off by one finger only, and it can't be that you just pull a rubber band back and...
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