Physics Simulation

The Place Kicker Problem

BHS -> Staff -> Mr. Stanbrough -> AP Physics -> Kinematics -> this page

If you are d meters from goal posts 3 m high, and you can kick the ball with an initial speed of v m/s. What range of launch angles (in degrees) can you use so that the ball clears the goal posst? What minimum speed can you give the ball so that it clears the goal posts?

Here is a method for setting up an Interactive Physics simulation to solve this problem:

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The Simulation:

1. Open the Interactive Physics program.
2. Set the simulation accuracy to "Accurate".
3. Select "Rulers" and "Coordinates" from the Workspace submenu of the View Menu to help with positioning of the objects.
4. Increase the size of the window horizontally so that the objects in the simulation can be as large as possible.
5. Make the "ball".
   1. Create a circle object () to represent the ball.
   2. Open the Properties Window for the ball, and set its position to (0, 0).
   3. Decide on a method to set the speed and direction of the ball, and implement it.
6. Make the "ground" and "goal posts".
   1. Zoom out () a couple of times so that you can see at least "d" meters in the window.
   2. Create a rectangle object () to represent the "ground".
   3. Resize the "ground" if necessary and drag it so that the "ball" rests on it. (You may need to zoom in () on the ball to see this better.)
   4. Anchor () the ground.
   5. Create a rectangle object to represent the goalposts. Use the rulers and coordinates to size and position it.

This is an example of a simulation designed to solve the "Place Kicker Problem". The initial speed and direction of the ball are set by controls.

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Running the Simulation:

Run the simulation, and when you have results that you are happy with, use the text tool () to add your name, and print it out. Before you turn it in, compare your simulation results with your analytical solution. If they don't agree, see what you can do about reconciling the difference.