Cannon Kinematics
NGSS HS-PS2-1 ยท AP Physics 1
Read the standards: HS-PS2-1, AP Physics 1
Fire a cannon on four worlds, drag the variables inside the big four kinematics equations, and watch every dotted flight obey them exactly.
About This Interactive
What do students do?
The four kinematics equations are the controls. Students grab a highlighted variable, the launch angle, the time, the initial velocity, drag it, and the cannon, the flight, and the live numbers all follow. Every shot leaves a dotted trajectory in its own color, so a 30 degree launch and a 60 degree launch hang side by side for comparison. Students fire the same shot with a 1 kilogram and a 20 kilogram ball and discover the flights are identical, switch gravity between the Moon, Mars, Earth, and Jupiter and read g straight off the slope of the velocity graph, and take on the cliff challenge, finding two different setting changes that clear the wall. A draggable target with a confetti payoff keeps the aim honest.
What does it cover?
NGSS HS-PS2-1, plus AP Physics 1 alignment for Topics 1.3 and 1.5, representing motion and motion in two dimensions. The physics is exact closed-form math rather than an approximation, so the scene, the equations, and the graphs agree to the last decimal. Key vocabulary: projectile, trajectory, velocity, acceleration, apex, range.
How long does it take?
20 to 30 minutes for the quick version, or one 90 minute high school block run as a mission-control lesson.
What does it run on?
Every SciMinis interactive runs free in the browser with nothing to install and no accounts, on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets, and phones. It's fully bilingual: one tap switches the whole interactive, worksheet included, between English and Spanish.
What do teachers get?
Each interactive ships with vocabulary flashcards, a ten-question worksheet students can export as a PDF, and complete NGSS-aligned lesson plans: a 20 to 30 minute quick version and a full timed 5E lesson. The lesson plans and answer key stay behind a free teacher password, so students can't peek.