Demonstrations

Parabolic Trajectory on an Incline Plane

Code Number :	1D60.55
Disclaimer:	Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website. The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources. Further information regarding legal liability in use of demonstrations and labs will be found on the web site Injuries in School/College Laboratories in USA. The University of Iowa Disclaimers: U of Iowa Disclaimer All Rights Reserved..
Condition :	Good
Principle :	Gravitational Acceleration vs Horizontal Velocity
Area of Study :	Mechanics
Equipment :	1" ball bearings, ball launcher, large shelf/incline plane, grid paper, and carbon paper.
Procedure :	Tape the grid and the carbon paper onto the incline plane and set at the desired angle. Launch the ball from the desired height on the ball launcher. Most likely you will not get a continuous line, but instead a series of dots as the ball travels down in a parabolic arc.

References

Willem H. van den Berg, Andrea R.Burbank, "Sliding Off a Roof: How Does the Landing Point Depend on the Steepness?", TPT, Vol. 40, # 2, Feb. 2002, p. 84.

Jaime R. Taylor, Arthur W. Carpenter, and Patrick H. Bunton, "Conservation of Energy with a Rubber Ramp," TPT, Vol. 35, # 3, p. 146-147, (March 1997).

Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., "Packard's Apparatus", TPT, Vol. 34, # 3, Mar. 1996, p. 156.

Lars Ostrup Petersen and Uffe Justesen, "Experimental Introduction to Moving Body", TPT, Vol. 34, # 2, Feb. 1996, p. 104.

John E. Beach, "A New Old Trajectory Experiment," TPT, Vol. 34, # 8, p. 522- 523, (Nov. 1996).

Walter Connolly, "Projectile Motion Board", TPT, Vol. 24, # 8, Nov. 1986, p. 495.

Robert Ehrlich, "Air Table Experiments Without An Air Table", TPT, Vol. 23, # 2, Feb. 1985, p. 113 - 116.

William P. Brown, "Monkey and Hunter in Slow Motion", TPT, Vol. 15, # 6, Sept. 1977, p. 368.

Stillman Drake, James MacLachlan, "Galileo's Discovery of the Parabolic Trajectory", Scientific American, March 1975, p. 102.

Robert Ehrlich, "Why Toast Lands Jelly-Side Down," Zen and the Art of Physics Demonstrations, p. 87- 89.

Janice VanCleave, "Elliptical," Astronomy for Every Kid - 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work, p. 66- 67.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille