User's Manual

®
Model No. ME-6810 Time of Flight Accessory
9
Experiment 1: The Relationship between
Time of Flight and Initial Velocity
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to show that the time of flight of a
ball launched horizontally off a table does not change as the initial
velocity is varied.
Theory:
A ball is launched horizontally off a table from a height h and has no
initial velocity in the vertical direction. Hence, the ball takes the same
amount of time to reach the ground as a ball that drops from rest at the
same height. The equation gives the time of flight, which is
independent of the initial velocity. Therefore, .
1. Clamp the Projectile
Launcher to one end
of a sturdy table
with the launcher
aimed away from
the table.
2. Adjust the angle of
the Projectile
Launcher to zero
degrees so the ball
will launch
horizontally.
3. Attach the Photogate Mounting Bracket to the Launcher and attach
the Photogate to the bracket. Plug the Photogates into the computer
interface.
Equipment required
Computer interface (CI-6450 or CI-7599 or
PS-2123 with PS-2100)
*
Projectile Launcher and ball (ME-6800 or
ME-6801)
Time-of-Flight Accessory (ME-6810) Photogate Mounting Bracket (ME-6821)
Phone Jack Extender Cable (PI-8117) Photogate Head (ME-9498)
h
1
2
---


gt
2
=
t2
h
g
---
=
M
E
-6
8
0
0
S
H
O
R
T
R
A
N
G
E
PROJECTILE LAUNCHER
W
E
A
R
S
A
F
E
T
Y
G
L
A
S
S
E
S
W
H
E
N
IN
U
S
E
.
C
AU
TIO
N!
DO NO
T LO
OK
D
OW
N
BAR
REL
!
C
AU
TIO
N!
DO NO
T LO
OK
D
OW
N
BAR
REL
!
Figure 1.1: Experiment Setup
*If a computer interface is not available, use a Photogate Timer (ME-8930).