Reference: M12
Category: Mechanics
Purpose: This demonstrates the independence of the horizontal and vertical components of motion with a less intuitive setup.
Description: An electromagnet is suspended from a tall stand and attached to a special switch box designed for the experiment. A metal plate (serving as the target) is held by the magnetic field of the electromagnet. The gun is set up and aimed directly at the centre of the target. A ball-bearing (serving as the bullet) is shot by blowing into a rubber tube attached to the lower end of the gun. As the bullet leaves the gun, the electromagnet is switched off, causing the target to drop. The bullet should hit the target, regardless of the speed at which it leaves the gun. The speed of the bullet can be varied by blowing more or less vigorously into the rubber tube. Note that the apparatus takes time to adjust and test.
Similar to: Pop and Drop
