Projectile Motion
Page 3

Data and Observations

10. The HIKER program will save the time and height (distance) data to lists L2 and L3 an the TI-82. When the program is finished, it will generate a graph of the data

11. Your graph will contain a downward-facing parabola. Trace the parabola by pressing TRACE and moving the courser with the new arrow keys. Find the highest height the rocket reached and the time it took to that height. Then find the time elapsed from the beginning of the flight to the end. Remember that x = time elapsed in seconds, while y = height in feet.

highest height: _______________________________________________________

time elapsed: ________________________________________________________

time elapsed from beginning to the end of flight: ___________________________ 

Analysis

12. Did your graph support the statement that the time for a projectile to reach its highest point is equal to the time for the projectile to fall back to earth? Explain.

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13. The flight of the projectile can be described by the equation h = vt - 16t², where h = height (distance), t = time, and v = initial upward velocity. What was the initial upward velocity of the rocket?

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14. Use the formula h = vt - 16t² to determine how long the rocket should have been at the middle of it's flight. Show your work on the lines below. Then check your work against your data of how long the rocket actually stayed in the air and what its height actually was at the middle of its flight.

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15. The height of the rocket can also be described by the function h(t) = vt - 16t². find the height of the rocket after 3 seconds. Then, divide the polynomial in the function by t - 3 to illustrate the remainder theorem. Show your work on the lines below. Then check your work by tracing your graph on the TI-82 to find the value y when x = 3.

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Career Connection to Teaching with Technology