Learning physics by experiment: X. Kinematics (advanced)

There is a familiar standard formula for the range of a projectile, which has a maximum value at a launch angle of pi/4 when the start and end points are at the same height. The solution for the case of different heights involves a less immediate analysis to find possible launch angles, and an alternative approach for students to tackle this problem as an investigative laboratory exercise is described here. In the absence of any goal from theory, the intentional nature of the design of the experiment gave students complete freedom to explore all scenarios that came to mind and to capture data without the distraction of “correct” answers; in fact, it was only after a period of reflection had been provided to students that revelatory outcomes emerged. Students were then encouraged to examine their results against the known value above to determine if that boundary condition had been satisfied. These advanced features exemplify the immense breadth of the series [1-11, i.a.], and the added dimension of versatility beyond the introductory level further emphasizes the exceptional power of the series.



[1] APR10.Z11.7; [2] APR12.J15.8; [3] APR14.D1.50; [4] APR18.F01.5; [5, 6, 7] MAR19.G70.102, 103, 104; [8, 9] MAR21.C15.12, H71.49; [10] APR22.F01.35; [11] MAR23.G00.188 (meetings.aps.org)