Projectile Motion Reflection

     In this week's lab, I learned about projectile motion: how it works and how to analyze it. A projectile is an object in which only the force of gravity is acting upon it. Its general path of motion is a parabolic trajectory.

      Using the Video Physics App on our Ipads, we analyzed the path of motion of a basketball when shot in the air. After taking the video, we plotted points along the ball's path through the air. We then used these points to graph the x and y components of the ball's path.

X-Component

      The top graph shows the x position over time. The change in position over the change in time is also known as the slope. The slope is constant in this case. The bottom graph shows the x velocity over time. Because acceleration is the change in velocity over the change in time and we know that the velocity is also constant, there is no acceleration and no net force.

Y-Component

       The top graph shows the y position over time. The change in position over the change in time is the slope and velocity. The graph shows that the slope is not constant; therefore, the object is accelerating. The bottom graph shows the y velocity over time. The decreasing line crosses the x-axis, and at that moment the object has a velocity of 0, which means it is at its peak. The rest of the time it is decreasing.