Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States
Anyone know of a good program I could find on the internet that will realistically simulate some kind of launching mechanism?  I need something that  I can enter in a velocity and an angle and view the results, for an experiment.  Something that can factor in wind resistance and gravity would be nice, too.

I really could use something like this.  I tried Googling for something, but only found simulators for springs and pendulums, etc.

Karma for help.
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6703|67.222.138.85
What specifically do you need this for?
Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

What specifically do you need this for?
I need to shoot a marble launcher and hit a target.  I have some free time, and wanted a nice physics simulator to help myself along.

We're not allowed to just fire endlessly, and get the marble in by trial and error.  We have to mathematically solve for the correct velocity and angle.
smartdude992
Keep your head down, smart's got a gun
+30|5928|Georgia, US of A
so use formulas and not a sim, you won't find anything that's easy to use and you definitely won't find anything free that will do it with any sort of accuracy

all you need is exiting velocity, Fg, air resistance and the ending height, its really just basic physics

Last edited by smartdude992 (2008-02-13 17:47:32)

Pokoyo
Member
+2|5931
If you're supposed to solve it mathematically, why don't you do it mathematically? Set the distance it has to go, rearrange the equation to make it velocity=, make up a value for angle, and find the corresponding launch speed. Assuming that you've been taught the equation.

Using a physics simulator would amount to guess and check anyway.
Djbrown
Member
+129|6492|Adelaide, Aussieland
well, if your firing a marble, ill assume your not firing it very far if your trying to hit a target. you could probably leave out wind resistance. Tbh id write my own program in my graphics calculator to solve this, but unless you understand basic C programming language for Casio calculators i dont think i can help much lol.

look for trebuchet simulators, im sure they are the closest thing, and theres A LOT out there
Mutantbear
Semi Constructive Criticism
+1,431|5961|London, England

Is that the same marble launcher that you used to nail that freshman?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________ https://i.imgur.com/Xj4f2.png
smartdude992
Keep your head down, smart's got a gun
+30|5928|Georgia, US of A

Mutantsteak wrote:

Is that the same marble launcher that you used to nail that freshman?
lol +1
Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States

Mutantsteak wrote:

Is that the same marble launcher that you used to nail that freshman?
Yes.
smartdude992
Keep your head down, smart's got a gun
+30|5928|Georgia, US of A

Bert10099 wrote:

Mutantsteak wrote:

Is that the same marble launcher that you used to nail that freshman?
Yes.
you already seem to have pretty good aim with it, who needs math, just beast it out!!!!
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6703|67.222.138.85
Yeah, just work out the equations man, it will be less painful in the long run.
Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Yeah, just work out the equations man, it will be less painful in the long run.
Yeah, it would be easier that way, just that I've never been great with math.  And I don't have an equation to work with.
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6703|67.222.138.85

Bert10099 wrote:

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Yeah, just work out the equations man, it will be less painful in the long run.
Yeah, it would be easier that way, just that I've never been great with math.  And I don't have an equation to work with.
Vertical and horizontal displacement are independent. Use trig to find horizontal and vertical vectors. No acceleration in the horizontal direction, only acceleration due to gravity in the vertical.

That information should at the very least get you to a guess and check kind of stage that you would have been at with a simulator, then try fiddling with it to solve for the angle.
clogar
damn ain't it great to be a laxer
+32|5952|Minnesota
mat lab might work, it's what my school uses.
Superslim
BF2s Frat Brother
+211|6688|Calgary
lol shit, I thought it read ( I need a physical simulator)  my bad........
Paco_the_Insane
Phorum Phantom
+244|6641|Ohio
Interactive physics. you can download a demo here: http://www.cybered.net/content.asp?contentid=1065
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6703|67.222.138.85

rdx-fx wrote:

(alternative method, geek mode:  get cozy with hooke's law for springs, measure the spring on the launcher, geek out with your TI-89 and Hooke's spring law)

Edit: TI-89 calculator IS a physics simulator, if you know what to feed it
Using spring laws would be rather difficult without knowing the spring constant, which would be nearly impossible to find for a spring attached to some sort of gun, no?

The TI-89 is banned in most schools because of how powerful it is, that should give you some inkling of how much it can do if you know what you're doing.

Anyways I recommend you take the equations you do have (acceleration equations and such) and derive the equation rdx-fx gave you, it's not that hard and will go a long way to making sure you understand how it works. Comprehension makes physics a lot easier.
Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States

rdx-fx wrote:

Sin(-1)[gR/2V²] gives you the angle to launch at

g: gravity, 9.81 m/s²
R: Range desired, in meters, (assuming target and launch at same elevation)
V: launch velocity (m/s)
Is that the inverse of sine you have there?
GodFather
Blademaster's bottom bitch
+387|6216|Phoenix, AZ

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

The TI-89 is banned in most schools because of how powerful it is, that should give you some inkling of how much it can do if you know what you're doing.
\
orly?

I got one and I showed my math teacher, she basically said, "why the fuck would you get that? Its so complicated..."

and then same reaction from my physics teacher


Lucky me i guess!
Flaming_Maniac
prince of insufficient light
+2,490|6703|67.222.138.85

GodFather wrote:

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

The TI-89 is banned in most schools because of how powerful it is, that should give you some inkling of how much it can do if you know what you're doing.
\
orly?

I got one and I showed my math teacher, she basically said, "why the fuck would you get that? Its so complicated..."

and then same reaction from my physics teacher


Lucky me i guess!
Lucky in that you get to use your uber calculator, unlucky in that you have retarded teachers and will crash and burn later.

Just kidding, hopefully.
Jestar
Shifty's Home Number: 02 9662 8432
+373|6737

Crocodile Physics?
Defiance
Member
+438|6667

Bert10099 wrote:

Flaming_Maniac wrote:

Yeah, just work out the equations man, it will be less painful in the long run.
Yeah, it would be easier that way, just that I've never been great with math.  And I don't have an equation to work with.
Taking the answers from a physics sim won't help you since you need the environmental variables anyways. Go to your teacher and find your problems. Bad with numbers or not the human brain's one triumph is it's ability to learn.
Bert10099
[]D [] []\/[] []D
+177|6737|United States
The equation rdx-fx gave me worked out well.

However I never took into consideration the fact that there is a roof above the cannon....  The first shot I took, the marble hit the ceiling.
T1g3r217
Perpetual
+124|6418|My room
Here's one

I guess it works

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