TOPICS

Editor Essentials Scripting Graphics & Visual Effects 2D Mobile & Touch XR Physics User Interface For Educators AI & Navigation

Content Type

Pathways

Build skills in Unity with guided learning pathways designed to help anyone interested in pursuing a career in gaming and the Real Time 3D Industry.

View all Pathways

Courses

Explore a topic in-depth through a combination of step-by-step tutorials and projects.

View all Courses

Projects

Create a Unity application, with opportunities to mod and experiment.

View all Projects

Tutorials

Find what you’re looking for with short, bite-sized tutorials.

TOPICS

View Tutorial Content

Lesson 1: Forces

Tutorial

Beginner

+10 XP

1 Hour

(17)

Overview

For Educators

Summary

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. 
Learning Objectives:
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. 

Materials

Lesson 1.pdf

Worksheet.pdf

Formulas and More.pdf

CatapultPhysics .unitypackage.zip

Select your Unity version

Last updated: February 05, 2024

2022.3

2018.3

Language

English

Also included in

ProjectCatapult Physics; Forces, and Energy

Lesson 1: Forces