Name: __________________________
Period: ________
Marble Launch Lab
PROBLEM/PURPOSE: At which angle do you think the marble will travel the greatest distance?
HYPOTHESIS: If the marble is launched at ____°, then it will travel the farthest.
MATERIALS:
 Safety goggles, Marble launcher, 1 marble, Tape measure, and masking tape .
PROCEDURE:
1.) Identify the parts of the marble launcher. Place launcher on the ground, and put a piece of masking
tape on the ground marking the placement of your launcher (always place launcher on tape).
2.) Measure the distance all the way across, marking the concrete floor every 100 cm with a piece of
masking tape.
3.) Use the fifth slot of the barrel to launch the marble for each trial. Your group is responsible for recording
ONLY THE ANGLES ASSIGNED TO YOU!
4.) Practice launching for accuracy and then record your closest 2 trials on the table below.
5.) Create a line graph on the next page (Table 2) using the data from Table 1.
DATA/OBSERVATIONS:
Data/Observations: In the table below record your two best trials for each launch angle; please note that your group will
only be conducting 2 different trials at 4 different angles (8 Total). You will share your data with the rest of the class at a
later time. Use a highlighter to mark the launch angles your group is responsible for recording.
Table 1: Launch angle and distance data
Groups Launch
angle
(degrees)
Distance
(meters)
Distance
(meters)
1 and 3
2 and 4
Groups
Launch
angle
(degrees)
Distance
(meters)
Distance
(meters)
5 and 7
6 and 8
1, 2
10 (394)
242 366 400 415 5, 6
50
751 764 650 600
1, 2
15 (475) 480 466 480 433 5, 6
55
746 762 740 712
1, 2
20
522 527 480 433 5, 6
60
734 723 703 742
1, 2
25
617 613 566
5, 6
65
700 696 420 410
3, 4
30
768 750 709 700 7, 8
70
630 135 500 490
3, 4
35
804 809 763 769 7, 8
75
248 479 400 410
3, 4
40
820 817 731 735 7, 8
80
350 352 316 300
3, 4
45
789 800 800 822 7, 8
85
70
215 138 150
600
500
400
100
200
300
Distance (cm)
700
800
900
Table 2: _______________________________________________
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
80
85
(x-axis title)
_____________________Angle (degrees)_______________
Questions/Conclusions:
1.
Look at your graph, at what angle does the marble reach the greatest distance? _________________________
2. Which variable is the independent variable? Which is the dependent variable?
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3. You are challenged to launch a marble to travel a distance of 4.00 meters. At what angle will you set the
launcher?
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4. Explain why two angles can be used to reach the same distance.
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