Name
Name
Name
Name
Name
Period
The Santa Project
(Projectile Practicum 2)
So many good children, so little time.
Santa is thinking about modernizing his toy delivery
system. Rather than visiting each house, Santa wants to
be able to land in one spot and then shoot the toys into
various chimneys. Unfortunately, while Santa gets an A+
in jocularity, charity and good will, his physics is a little
sketchy so he needs your help. Show Santa how to get
his gifts into the appropriate chimney while passing
through two hoops.
Do it right, and maybe they’ll be a little something extra
in your stocking this Christmas. Fail and it’s coal for you.
The Santa Project
page 2
Objective:
Using only the apparatus listed below determine where to place the two hoops and
the “chimney” (pail) so that the ball will pass through each hoop and land in the pail.
Be sure to show your work so Santa can follow along!
Apparatus: Projectile Launcher
Photogates on bracket
Data Studio file Time Between Photogates.
Measuring Tape
Meter Stick
Procedure:
Part 1





Experimentally Determining the Initial Velocity of the Ball
Open the Data Studio file Time Between Photogates.
Make sure the Mini Launcher is set to 30.
Put the steel ball into the Mini Launcher and then use the plunger to cock it to the
long-range position (3 clicks).
Make sure the photogates are parallel to one another and perpendicular to the
Mini Launcher. They are 10 cm = 0.10 m apart.
You must catch the ball immediately after it passes through the
photogates!
Trial 1
Time between photogates (s)
Trial 2
Trial 3
Average
1. Calculate the initial velocity of the ball in m . Show your work below.
s
The Santa Project
Part 2


page 3
Shooting through the hoops and into the chimney.
There is a diagram on the side of the launcher that shows from exactly where the
ball is launched.
Be sure all measurements are in meters.
Need some help? Santa suggests the following.
(See Projectile Motion Worksheet 6, Problem #3)
1. Using the launch velocity from Part 1 and additional measurements and
calculations, fill in the table below. Show any calculations below.
Horizontal


vx 
xo  0 m

ax 

vo 

Vertical
height pail 

voy 

g
height hoop1 
height hoop 2 
(measure to the middle
of the hoop)
(measure to the middle
of the hoop)

yo 
2. Calculate the time it will take the ball to reach
the middle of each hoop. (Both times can be
found using only 1 kinematic equation and the
quadratic formula!).
3. Calculate the time to the
top of the pail.
4. Now you have all the information needed to calculate the placement of the two
hoops and the pail.
Call Mr. K over to see your first attempt!