Projectile Data Lab: Air Resistance & Target Practice
Fire golf balls, pumpkins and pianos with and without air resistance and collect a table of ranges.
Pick an object, aim the cannon by dragging its tip, and fire. Turn air resistance on and see how a golf ball, a pumpkin and a piano fly differently. Try to hit the target.
About the Projectile Data Lab: Air Resistance & Target Practice
Free projectile data lab: air resistance & target practice. Fire golf balls, pumpkins and pianos with and without air resistance and collect a table of ranges. Drag, change the sliders and see the result live. No sign-up, works on phone and computer. Built for physics, the projectile data lab: air resistance & target practice runs instantly in your browser: change a setting or drag an object and the result updates at once, so you learn by trying things out rather than only reading about them.
Fire golf balls, pumpkins and pianos with and without air resistance and collect a table of ranges. Use it to explore physics ideas at your own pace, then check what you found against the key ideas further down this page.
How to use the Projectile Data Lab: Air Resistance & Target Practice
- Use the controls to change Object, Air resistance, Angle, Launch speed. The simulation reacts instantly.
- Pick an option such as Golf ball, Baseball, Cannonball, Pumpkin to switch modes or load an example.
- Press "Fire!", "Clear" to start, reset or change what is happening.
- Where you see a glowing handle, object, weight or atom, drag it with your mouse or finger. Everything responds in real time.
- Watch the readouts and graphs update as you experiment, and compare what you see with the key ideas below.
Things to try
- Fire a golf ball and a piano with air on.
- Hit the target.
- Compare vacuum and air shots.
Key ideas you can learn
- Without air, mass does not change the path.
- With air resistance, light objects lose more range.
- Maximum range in a vacuum is at 45°.
- Drag depends on speed and shape.
Where this is used in the real world
Sports, ballistics and space launch all need models with and without air resistance.
Who is this simulation for?
Physics students in middle school, high school and first-year university, teachers who want a quick demonstration for the projector, and anyone revising for exams. It works well for flipped classrooms because students can explore before the lesson.
For teachers: project it on the board, let students predict what will happen, then run it together. For students: change one thing at a time and write down what changes.
Frequently asked questions
Does mass affect projectile motion?
Only when there is air resistance. In a vacuum all objects follow the same path.
What launch angle gives maximum range?
45° in a vacuum, a little less with air resistance.
Is the Projectile Data Lab: Air Resistance & Target Practice free to use?
Yes. It is completely free, with no signup, no download and no ads inside the simulation. It runs in your web browser.
Does the Projectile Data Lab: Air Resistance & Target Practice work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. It uses touch as well as the mouse, so you can drag objects with your finger. A larger screen makes the controls easier to see.