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Teach lesson

Projectiles 3/3: read the image and correct the ruler

Use horizontal launches to practice result-image reading, the +1 m correction, and measurement uncertainty.

  • Projectiles
  • 40 min
  • High-school physics
  • English
  • Physics
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Projectiles
Projectiles

Learning Outcomes

  • Distinguish visible reading, correction, and corrected range.

  • Apply the +1.00 m correction when the lab shows it.

  • Explain how image reading affects confidence in a conclusion.

Student activity preview

Activity Content

Preview only. In a class session, students can fill in responses and submit their work to the teacher.

1

The visible reading is not always the whole range

8 min

In a real experiment, measuring well can matter as much as launching well. If you read a ruler from an image without noticing which part of the tape is visible, you can record the wrong distance even when the launch itself worked. This activity focuses on a simple but important question: what distance should you write down when the image does not show the whole ruler?

In some horizontal launches, the final image may show only the last part of the measuring tape. When that happens, the lab warns you to add 1.00 m to the visible reading. In the lab UI, semiparabola is the horizontal launch route, bajo is low, and medio is medium.

Two real horizontal result images: one with no correction and one with a one-meter correction.

The correction column separates what you see on the ruler from the distance you should record.

If the image shows a visible reading of 0.36 m and the warning says to add 1.00 m, what corrected range should you record?

2

Compare two horizontal launches

16 min

You will use two rows: horizontal semiparabola, low level and medium level. The angle is 0° in both rows.

Real result image with labels for impact mark, visible ruler, and reference line.

Read your own lab image. The figure only reminds you what to look for.

Open the Projectiles lab

  1. Choose horizontal launch or semiparabola.

  2. Run low (bajo) and medium (medio) at 0°.

  3. Record the visible reading from each image.

  4. Write correction 0.00 and warning no if there is no +1 m warning.

  5. Write correction 1.00 and warning yes, +1 m if the warning appears.

  6. Calculate corrected range = visible reading + correction.

Reading, correction, and range

Complete the two rows. Type numbers only in the three measurement columns. In Warning shown?, write no or yes, +1 m. The table supplies the unit m.

Level Visible reading m Correction m Corrected range m Warning shown?
3

Reason with the correction

10 min

If your medium-level row shows the +1.00 m warning, use it here. If not, use the opening example: 0.36 m + 1.00 m. What wrong conclusion could you draw if you forgot to add 1.00 m?

Name one real image-reading difficulty and explain how it affects your confidence.

4

Measurement conclusion

6 min

Write a short conclusion: why is it useful to separate visible reading, correction, and corrected range into three different columns?