IB Physics Students Study Projectile Motion

North Shore High School Students Experience Physics in Action

The students in Miss LeMar’s IB Physics class put theory into practice out on the football field, while investigating projectile motion. The class was broken up into work groups, each equipped with an air-powered projectile (which looked like a small rocket) and launch pad. 

North Shore High School Physics teacher, Miss Sara LeMar said, “These projectiles, which can reach speeds of up to 90 miles per hour, or as the students calculate it, 40.2 meters per second, are projected from the ground with pressurized air.” She continued, “Once my students calculate the speed of the projectile as it leaves the launch pad, they can launch them at predetermined angles of 30o and 45o.” 

Prior to the launch, the students calculated the horizontal displacement (range) of the projectile, and approximated where it would land using the yard marks on the field. The IB Physics class was pleased to find that the projectile struck the ground at a point very close to that calculated, verifying what they had learned in class. This hands-on learning experience proved to be an outstanding lesson for the students, as it was a fun way to test out a practical application to what they had learned.  Miss LeMar will provide a variety of applied experiences for the class as the school year progresses.

Article and photo provided by the North Shore Schools Science Department