Demonstrations

Time of Flight

Code Number :	1C10.62
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.
Condition :	Good
Principle :	Two - Dimensional Motion
Area of Study :	Mechanics
Equipment :	Masonite background, meter stick, short range spring gun, c-clamp, "sad" ball.
Procedure :	Set up two of the short range projectile guns side by side. One should have an angle of 8-10 degrees, while the other should have an angle of 75 degrees. Two cars are set in front of the guns, one being farther away from the guns than the other. After the arrangement is described to the students the question is asked, "If both guns are fired simultaneously, with the same energy, which car gets hit first?"

References

Paul G. Hewitt, "Physics Not Misfigured", TPT, Vol. 42, # 5, May 2004, p. 260.

"Editor's Note", TPT, Vol. 42, # 5, May 2004, p. 261.

Figuring Physics, TPT, Vol. 42, # 1, Jan. 2004, p. 12, 45.

Robert Weinstock, "Misfigured Physics", TPT, Vol. 42, # 3, March 2004, p. 132.

Fred Lang, "Solvable Equations", TPT, Vol. 38, # 7, Oct. 2000, p. 389.

David Montalvo, "Solving an "Unsolvable" Projectile - Motion Problem", TPT, Vol. 37, # 4, Apr. 1999, p. 226.

Brian Cahill, Thulsi Wickramasinghe, David Montalvo, John F. Goehl, Jr., Michael George, "Questioning the "Unsolvable", "Answer A", 'Author's Response", "Answer B", "Answer C", TPT, Vol. 37, # 8, Nov. 1999, p. 454.

Earl Zwicker, "DOING Physics," TPT, Vol. 26, # 2, p. 124, (Feb. 1988).

Petre N. Henriksen, "Snowball Fighting: A Study in Projectile Motion", TPT, Vol. 13, # 1, Jan. 1975, p. 43.

Robert D. Smith, "A Time-of-Flight Determination of the Monkey Hunter's Bullet," TPT, Vol. 13, # 5, May 1975, p. 298.

A. Tan, C.H. Frick, and O. Castillo, "The Fly Ball Trajectory: An Older Approach Revisited," AJP, 55, (1), January 1987.

F. C. Peterson, "Timing the Flight of the Projectile in the Classical Ballistic Pendulum," AJP 51 (7), July 1983, p. 602.

Glen E. Everett and R. L. Wildm, "Inexpensive Time-of-Flight Velocity Measurements," AJP, 47, (5), May 1979, p. 426

M-162: "Baseball Timer," DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

Mail Questions and Comments to: Dale Stille