Using the Kinematics Spreadsheet

Example 2

Question 1:

"If you fire a cannonball straight upwards with a starting speed of 40 m/s. How high does it go, and how long will it be in the air?"

Solution:

All you need to do is change the value of the starting velocity in cell B7 to "-40" (40 m/s up) and read the results from the spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet solution

Question 2:

"What if the numbers aren't quite so "pretty"? For instance, if the projectile is launched upward with a speed of 14 m/s, how long will it be in the air?"

Solution:

Changing the starting velocity in cell B3 gives:

Preliminary results for question 2

Changing the time interval in cell B4 gives you a closer look:

Results for question 2
last update September 15, 2000 by JL Stanbrough