I am in middle school and we are doing a catapult projectile lab. The question is, using knowledge of force, motion and projectiles, can a catapult be built to accurately project a marshmellow toward a designated target. We have to change the angle of release and measure average flight time and distance and then come up with the average speed and then the force required at each angle. The question I have is how to even go about writing a hypothesis. What are they looking for????

Question

I am in middle school and we are doing a catapult projectile lab. The question is, using knowledge of force, motion and projectiles, can a catapult be built to accurately project a marshmellow toward a designated target. We have to change the angle of release and measure average flight time and distance and then come up with the average speed and then the force required at each angle. The question I have is how to even go about writing a hypothesis. What are they looking for????

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "projectile trajectories" to get these possible sources:

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/traj.html
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/vectors/u3l2b.html
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/Curriculum/Geometry/DupontGarden.shtml
http://www.cs.utah.edu/~zachary/isp/applets/Cannon/Cannon.html
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/Class/vectors/u3l2c2.html

Although this material seems a little complex for middle school, I hope it helps. Thanks for asking.

Answer 1

To write a hypothesis for your catapult projectile lab, you need to make an educated guess about the outcome of the experiment. Hypotheses are usually in the form of an if/then statement. In this case, you can start by considering the variables you'll be changing - the angle of release - and how they might affect the outcome - the accuracy of the marshmallow hitting the designated target.

Here's an example of a hypothesis you could write for this experiment:

"If the angle of release on the catapult is increased, then the marshmallow will travel a greater distance because the increased launch angle will provide more force and increase the speed of the projectile."

In this hypothesis, you are predicting that increasing the angle of release will result in the marshmallow traveling a greater distance due to the increased force and speed. However, keep in mind that your hypothesis should be based on prior knowledge or research about projectiles and how they behave.

Remember, hypotheses are meant to be tested and potentially proven incorrect. After conducting your experiment, you will analyze the data you collected and determine if your hypothesis was supported or not.

Good luck with your experiment!