Student Exploration: Feed the Monkey (Projectile Motion)
Vocabulary: acceleration, free fall, trajectory, vector, velocity
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Eccentric billionaire Veda Husser
...
Student Exploration: Feed the Monkey (Projectile Motion)
Vocabulary: acceleration, free fall, trajectory, vector, velocity
Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Eccentric billionaire Veda Hussert has invented a “banana cannon” to help feed the monkeys on
her personal wildlife preserve. To feed a monkey high in the trees, simply aim the cannon at the
monkey and fire a banana! Unfortunately, the noise of the cannon frightens the monkeys, and
they drop out of the tree when they hear the sound.
1. To hit a falling monkey with a banana, where should Veda aim? (Circle your choice.)
A. Above the monkey B. Below the monkey C. Directly at the monkey
2. Explain your choice:
Veda should aim the cannon at the monkey because both the monkey and the banana will
undergo the same downward movement, such that the banana will be pulled down from its
target at the same distance as it was aimed away from the monkey.
Gizmo Warm-up
The Feed the Monkey Gizmo shows a banana
cannon and a monkey. When the cannon fires,
the startled monkey drops from the branch.
1. Click Play ( ) to fire the cannon. What
happens?
The banana flies over top of the monkey’s head.
2. You can use the sliders to change the banana velocity (vInitial) and cannon angle (θ). (You
can also drag the cannon barrel.) Make adjustments until the monkey catches the banana.
What were the velocity and angle that you used?
Without moving the cannon, I set the velocity to 17m/s and changed the angle to 32°. The
monkey caught the banana right before they hit the ground.
3. Now try increasing and decreasing the velocity. Assuming the banana is moving fast enough
to reach the tree, does the monkey still catch the banana? Describe your findings.
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