Lab: Horizontally Launched Projectiles (with uncertainty analysis)

This is a version of the time-tested lab where students roll a ball off a table top and use kinematics in two dimensions to try to predict where the ball will land. While many versions of this lab have been previously published, in this version students determine the uncertainty of all measurements and uncertainty of their prediction. The techniques and vocabulary are consistent with the Introduction to Measurement packet.

In most versions of this lab, students predict the distance away from the table where they think the ball will land. Then, students launch the projectile to see whether their prediction is right. In this version, students use the concept of uncertainty and predict a range of distances between which they predict the ball will land. Then they launch the projectile to see whether their prediction is correct within their stated range of certainty.