Lesson 1: Forces

Lesson 2: Energy

Challenge - Basketball and the Hierarchy

Curriculum Connections.pdf

Formulas and More.pdf

Lesson 1.pdf

Lesson 2.pdf

Challenge.pdf

Quiz.pdf

Quiz Answer Guide.pdf

Worksheet.pdf

Worksheet Answer Guide.pdf

This project allows students to experiment with foundational Physics concepts like mass, velocity, forces, and energy within Unity, a powerful real-time physics engine. This provides students with a fun and interactive way to tinker with various physical constants and immediately see their impact in a simulated environment. Not only is this an excellent way for students to solidify their understanding of these concepts, but it will also open their eyes to the possibility of using 3D engines like Unity to grapple with real-world scenarios.

CatapultPhysics .unitypackage.zip

In this project, you will have a chance to explore the physics involved in a catapult launch. Lessons on forces and energy will guide your exploration and a final challenge will test your knowledge. You will be manipulating multiple variables in the engine itself to produce changes in velocity, acceleration, distance and more!

This project is powered by Enable Education. You can find a link to the Enable Education website in the Project Materials to the right.

Catapult Physics; Forces, and Energy

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Download the Asset Package

Select Lesson 1 and Experiment with Force Variables 

Calculate your cannonball's acceleration

Open Target Free Play and Use Variable Forces to Hit the Target 

In this tutorial, you will learn about how forces interact to produce projectile motion of a cannonball as it is launched from a catapult. You will begin by opening the Unity editor and downloading the project assets by following the included link. When you have the assets loaded and configured, you will start lesson one and begin working through the included steps. By changing the sliders that control your cannonball’s mass and the spring force of your catapult, you will watch how the forces applied by a catapult affect the arc and speed of a projectile. Using the data set you collect from the launch; you will calculate the acceleration of your cannonball. Once you are finished with the lesson activity, you will move on to the target free play section and experiment with mass and force until you are able to hit the center of a target.   

You will be able to explain the relationship between the forces applied to a cannonball, the mass of the ball, and the ball’s acceleration. Using what you've learned, you will find the optimal mass and force settings needed to hit the bullseye on a target. 

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Adjust the mass of the cannonball being launched from a catapult.

Adjust the force applied to a cannonball by a catapult.

Understand the relationship between a force applied to a cannonball and its velocity.

Understand the relationship between a force applied to a cannonball and the distance it travels.

Use the velocity calculated in the Unity editor to determine the acceleration of a cannonball at different points in its arc.

*Note:  Follow along in the worksheet that can be found under Tutorial Materials. This is also where you can find other important resources like the Formulas and More page. 

See attached file labelled "Curriculum Connections.pdf"

See attached file labelled "Lesson 1.pdf"

 Use the velocity calculated in the Unity editor to determine the acceleration of a cannonball at different points in its arc.

Note: Use the equations provided in the Formulas and More page to help you calculate the acceleration of your cannonball.

The player will be able to explain the relationship between the forces applied to a cannonball, the mass of the ball, and the ball’s acceleration. Using what they’ve learned, they will find the optimal mass and force settings needed to hit the bullseye on a target.

CatapultPhysics.zip

In this step, you'll be opening up the Unity editor and configuring it so that you can start the lessons! If you already see a catapult on your screen, skip to #7 below.

Scroll up to the Overview section of this page, locate the Tutorial Materials and click on the link labeled "CatapultPhysics.zip". Download the file and save it somewhere where it will be easy to find.

At this point, you'll need to unzip the file. If you don't know how to do that, check below these steps for more information.

Once you have the Unity launcher open, click New in the top right corner of the dialog box. Then click Create project.

Once Unity has loaded you should see a blue and gray Game window on your screen. From the Assets drop-down menu at the top of the screen, select Import Package and then click Custom Package. 

Browse your computer for the unzipped file, select it, and click Open. Then click Import. Once it loads, in the top right corner, you should see a tab named Project.  If you do not see that tab, you can find it in the Window drop-down menu under General -> Project.

Under the Project tab, locate Assets -> Scenes. Click Scenes. Then double-click the icon to the right labeled PhysicsCatapult.

You should now see a catapult. Also from the Window tab at the top of the screen, select Physics Config Window.

Click on the tab at the top of the EditorPhysicsConfig window to drag it to the right-hand side of the screen and dock it. 

Close any other tabs shown on the right-hand side of the screen.

Before you begin, make sure you have the Game window and EditorPhysicsConfig window open. 

 Note: You can unzip a .zip file by right-clicking the icon and selecting Extract All. 

Use the Cannonball Mass and Spring Force sliders to adjust your catapult’s settings:

1. Click on the Lesson 1 button and then the proceed to Step 1 button. 

2. Using the two available sliders, configure the settings for your catapult.

3. Click Proceed to Step 2 and watch how the selections you made using the mass and force slider affect the way your cannonball is launched.

4. Click Proceed to Step 3 and record the velocity of your cannonball at the height of its arc. 

Before the tension is released and the ball is launched, the ball remains stationary because the mass of the ball and the tension holding it down cancel out the force being applied by the catapult’s spring.

There are complex forces acting on the cannonball as it goes from its resting position to the position at launch. The force the spoon is exerting on the cannonball that keeps it from flying outwards is called ‘centripetal force’. The force that the cannonball exerts on the spoon that pushes away from the center as it is being launched is called ‘centrifugal force’. 

To calculate acceleration, you will need to gather a few data points and use a basic physics formula. The formula you'll need is F=ma. Scroll up again to the Tutorial Materials and click "Formulas and More.pdf" for additional information. 

Once you have the Formulas and More page open, locate the worksheet also listed under the Tutorial Materials and follow along on the worksheet as you continue through the lessons.

Click the button for Lesson 1 and pick a setting for your mass and spring force and proceed through the three steps.

Using the velocity data points you’ve recorded, calculate the acceleration of your ball from prelaunch to the height of its arc.

Using the velocity data points you’ve recorded, calculate the acceleration of your ball from the height of its arc to when it settles on the ground.

In the worksheet, calculate the acceleration of the ball after it is launched using the resultant force and the mass you've selected with your slider.

The only force acting on the cannonball at this point is gravity.

Formulas and More

Worksheet

Use what you’ve learned to hit a target.

Try and hit each of the colored rings on target by changing the mass of your cannonball and your catapult’s spring force; start with the black ring.

When you’ve hit each of the colored rings on the target, try and hit the bullseye at the target’s center.

Once you’ve found a set of mass and spring force values that allow you to hit the center of the target, find a way to hit the center of the target with the mass set to its lowest and highest values. 

End of Lesson --> Here's what you learned!

You can use the sliders to determine the launch parameters of a catapult 

You can change force and mass parameters to hit a target

You can use data points collected from Unity to calculate the acceleration of a cannonball

You now understand the relationship between force and mass  well enough to apply the knowledge (And hit a target!)

You'll get a chance to learn about the different types of energy involved in the catapult launch

Lesson 1: Forces

1. Download the Asset Package

2. Select Lesson 1 and Experiment with Force Variables

3. Calculate your cannonball's acceleration

4. Open Target Free Play and Use Variable Forces to Hit the Target

Complete this tutorial