The Thunder Bolt

Concordia high school Applied Physics students are launching ball bearings, using the initial quantities of motion to model the flight path of an object in their study of projectile motion and kinematics. 

“This is an engineering exercise, because students have to physically measure using meter sticks and account for actual 3 dimensional space, left and right as well as up and down, rather than just working out the solution on paper. And so it is ‘doing’ instead of just theorizing,” said Mr. Stapley. 

Given the initial launch speed of the object and the angle, students are calculating the distance the object will travel, the angle required to hit an object, the time required to hit an object, or the launch height required. 

Students are working in pairs, but submission is independent. 

“This is my first physics lab in a while, so experimenting with things and knowledge I haven't learned before was an interesting experience for me, “ said Duy (G11).

“I think this is the first time I’ve had a physics class that incorporates machinery and tools, such as the launcher, and they help me visualize all of the content,” said Rinnah (G11). 

"It was an amazing learning experience to be able to apply theory into reality in Applied Physics,” said Quang Minh (G11).

“It was fascinating to see my calculations in action,” said Andrew (G11).

These launches and corresponding observations and reflections serve as students’ summative assessment in the class.

“I thought it was cool because you can apply theory to a hands-on experiment and it was cool to see the physics in action,” said Khac Minh (G11). 

Learn more about Concordia’s high school STEM program.