Oblique launch including drag force by video analysis

We present the video analysis of the oblique launch of five Styrofoam balls into the air, highlighting the effect of the drag force. Graphs of the trajectories, position, and velocity coordinates as a function of time are obtained numerically using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method (RK4) and superimposed on the experimental data and compared to the ideal case without drag force. The values of the drag coefficients used in the RK4 numerical calculation are compatible with those presented in the literature. Measurements of each system’s kinetic, gravitational potential and mechanical energies, as well the modulus of the work of the drag force were obtained as a function of time, showing that the reduction in mechanical energy is more pronounced in the intervals where the variation of the kinetic energy is greater.

Keywords:
Drag force; oblique launch; video analysis; Runge-Kutta