Projectile Motion Video Analysis Lab

Graph of x-position vs. time with best fit line:

1.      Equations that describe the x-position vs. time

y    The equation of the best fit line is y = 0.9120x - 0.06167. The slope tells us the velocity of the ball.  

y

2.      Description of the horizontal motion

     When the ball is thrown horizontally, there is actually no acceleration if there is no air resistance. 

      Graph of y-position vs. time with best fit line:

 

     

      7.     What can you say about the rate of change of the y-velocity as a function of time? How does the value of the slope of the linear fits compare to the acceleration of a freely falling object?

          The y-velocity changes as time passes. It will increase until the ball reaches the floor and then as it bounces again, the y-velocity will be less than what it was in the previous bounce. The slope of the linear fit is constant and negative so the acceleration would be constant.

8.     Explain the differences in the horizontal and vertical components of the motion of the projectile in terms of the force(s) acting on it after it was launched.

      The horizontal component remains constant throughout the whole thing. The vertical component initially starts at 0m/s but then accelerates and decelerates at a rate of 9.8m/s^2.