Plan the investigation
What students will do
Start with a guided comparison, then plan an investigation, analyze a graph, and check a prediction.
- Compare horizontal launches. Change horizontal velocity while keeping vertical velocity fixed. Compare flight time, maximum rise, and range.
- Design and collect. Choose at least five vertical launch velocities. Keep horizontal velocity fixed and plan how to locate each peak.
- Analyze a linear graph. Transform the height and velocity data to produce a straight line. Determine gravitational acceleration from its slope.
- Explain and predict. Explain component independence, then predict maximum rise for an unused vertical velocity and test it.
What students will learn
- Separate the horizontal and vertical components of projectile motion.
- Relate maximum rise to the initial vertical velocity.
- Use a graph-based model to estimate gravity and test a prediction.
Common misconception
Does a larger horizontal velocity make a projectile rise higher?
Students hold vertical launch velocity fixed to isolate what horizontal velocity changes.