- #1
hotshotscott
- 7
- 0
Hey guys, this is my first post, so I am sorry if this is in the wrong section. For physics at school, i have built a trebuchet, which stands about 1.2 meters tall, and the arm is about 2 meters long. I have it throwing a projectile easily enough, but for my experiment, i need to find out the following data;
1) Displacement of Projectile
This is easy enough, simply measure the distance from where the projectile takes off, and where it lands.
2) The average velocity
This is also easy, by using the displacement, and the time taken to get there.
3) The largest height
I have not figured out an accurate way to do this yet, but please correct me if I am wrong when i say this. Shouldn't I be able to find out the largest height of the projectile, by using the time taken, and the displacement? For example, if in test one the projectile go 20m long, and it takes 5 seconds. Then if in test 2 it does the same length, except it takes 6 seconds, this will mean that it went heigher. Anyway, now my question is, what is the formula for working out this?
4) The distance of the projectiles flight path
This one is tricky, i have spoken to my teachers about this and they say that it's not expected of me to do this, because some of them didn't even know how i would do this. I came up with a solution which i think is very close to correct, however it will be a little out. But it will still be close enough. If i get the arc of the flight path (in graphmatica), by adding in the starting point, heighest point and landing point, i should then be able to draw many vertical lines through this flight path, and then some horozontal lines through those vertical one's, where the vertical one's meat the flight path. So it should look like this;
//img79.imageshack.us/img79/1197/physicsformulasz6.png (add h t t p : / / in front of it. I couldn't do it because it's my first post, and you can't post URLS on your first post)
Now, see how I've made the circle around one point, and notice how each of these areas are now close to a right angled triangle. Well i was thinking, i could get the hypotenuse of each of these little triangles, and add them all up, and that would get me the distance of the flight path (Close to it, a little shorter). However, that is a lot of stuffing around. Is there a formula that can work this out, if i already new the time taken, the displacement, and height?
Thankyou very much for your time. I really hope you can answer my last 2 questions!
Thanks,
Scotty
1) Displacement of Projectile
This is easy enough, simply measure the distance from where the projectile takes off, and where it lands.
2) The average velocity
This is also easy, by using the displacement, and the time taken to get there.
3) The largest height
I have not figured out an accurate way to do this yet, but please correct me if I am wrong when i say this. Shouldn't I be able to find out the largest height of the projectile, by using the time taken, and the displacement? For example, if in test one the projectile go 20m long, and it takes 5 seconds. Then if in test 2 it does the same length, except it takes 6 seconds, this will mean that it went heigher. Anyway, now my question is, what is the formula for working out this?
4) The distance of the projectiles flight path
This one is tricky, i have spoken to my teachers about this and they say that it's not expected of me to do this, because some of them didn't even know how i would do this. I came up with a solution which i think is very close to correct, however it will be a little out. But it will still be close enough. If i get the arc of the flight path (in graphmatica), by adding in the starting point, heighest point and landing point, i should then be able to draw many vertical lines through this flight path, and then some horozontal lines through those vertical one's, where the vertical one's meat the flight path. So it should look like this;
//img79.imageshack.us/img79/1197/physicsformulasz6.png (add h t t p : / / in front of it. I couldn't do it because it's my first post, and you can't post URLS on your first post)
Now, see how I've made the circle around one point, and notice how each of these areas are now close to a right angled triangle. Well i was thinking, i could get the hypotenuse of each of these little triangles, and add them all up, and that would get me the distance of the flight path (Close to it, a little shorter). However, that is a lot of stuffing around. Is there a formula that can work this out, if i already new the time taken, the displacement, and height?
Thankyou very much for your time. I really hope you can answer my last 2 questions!
Thanks,
Scotty