Plan the investigation
What students will do
Use the student handout to organize predictions, measurements, and explanations.
- Measure the geometry. Find release, table, and ground-contact center heights. Distinguish the ramp drop from the drop during flight.
- Predict the landing. Calculate launch speed from energy, then flight time and landing position from horizontal-launch kinematics.
- Release and check. Measure horizontal launch speed and landing position. Compare each stage with your predictions.
- Choose a lower release. Measure a new release height and predict the next landing. Test whether launch speed and flight time change.
What students will learn
- Connect conservation of energy with projectile motion.
- Choose consistent center-height and launch-position references.
- Identify which stage explains a prediction discrepancy.
Common misconception
Does a lower ramp release change the flight time?
Students distinguish the height drop that sets launch speed from the table-to-ground drop that sets flight time.