HYPOTHESIS: If the Marble Is Launched at ____ , Then It Will Travel the Farthest

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)
1 and 3 / Distance
(meters)
2 and 4 / Groups / Launch angle
(degrees) / Distance
(meters)
5 and 7 / Distance
(meters)
6 and 8
1, 2 / 10 / 5, 6 / 50
1, 2 / 15 / 5, 6 / 55
1, 2 / 20 / 5, 6 / 60
1, 2 / 25 / 5, 6 / 65
3, 4 / 30 / 7, 8 / 70
3, 4 / 35 / 7, 8 / 75
3, 4 / 40 / 7, 8 / 80
3, 4 / 45 / 7, 8 / 85

Table 2: ______

Distance (cm)
100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
(x-axis title)
______

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?

______

3.  You are challenged to launch a marble to travel a distance of 4.00 meters. At what angle will you set the launcher?

______

4.  Explain why two angles can be used to reach the same distance.

______