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Aim the launcher and fire a marble. Which angle sends it furthest?
Projectile Launcher lab · Last updated: 16 October 2026
You aim a launcher and fire a marble across the room, then change the angle and fire again. Too low and it hits the ground early; too high and it goes up and comes straight down. Somewhere in between is the best angle.
What you'll discover
- A launched marble follows a smooth curve called a parabola.
- On level ground, with air resistance ignored, a launch at 45 degrees goes furthest.
- Angles that add up to 90 degrees, such as 30 and 60, land at the same distance.
The science in plain words
Anything thrown or launched and then left to fly is called a projectile. Once it leaves the launcher, the only force acting on it, if we ignore the air, is gravity, pulling it straight down.
The trick is to think of the motion in two parts. Sideways, nothing pushes or pulls the marble, so it keeps moving at a steady speed. Up and down, gravity slows it as it rises, stops it at the top and speeds it up as it falls, changing its upward speed by about 9.8 metres per second every second. Put the two together and you get a curved path called a parabola.
The launch angle shares the marble's speed between these two directions. A low angle gives lots of sideways speed but little time in the air. A steep angle gives lots of time in the air but little sideways speed. On flat ground the best balance is 45 degrees.
Real balls are slowed by air, so in sport the best angle is often a little lower than 45 degrees. Footballers, basketball players and engineers designing fountains all use these ideas, whether they know the maths or not.
Where it fits
- India, NCERT: Projectile motion is taught after Class 10 in NCERT; this lab builds on Class 9 Chapter 7: Motion and Chapter 9: Gravitation.
- United States: Grades 9 to 12
Common questions
What angle makes a ball go the furthest?
On level ground and ignoring air resistance, 45 degrees gives the longest range. In real sports, air drag and launch height mean the best angle is usually a little lower.
Why does a thrown ball move in a curve?
It keeps moving sideways at a steady speed while gravity pulls it down at a steadily increasing speed. Combining the two motions gives a curved path called a parabola.
Does a heavier ball fall faster when thrown?
Without air resistance, no. Gravity speeds up all objects at the same rate, so a heavy and a light marble launched the same way follow the same path.
Related labs
- Orbital Mechanics: Newton's cannonball: how fast must you fire it sideways so it never lands?
- Slide and Light Gates: Let a toy sled slide down a slide. How fast does it pick up speed?
- Aerodynamics: Blow air over a wing. How fast before it lifts its own weight?
See all physics labs or every Taz science lab.
Try it yourself
The Projectile Launcher lab is one of the interactive 3D science labs inside Taz. Change one thing, predict what will happen, then run it and watch. Labs open after you sign in.