Compressed Air Cannon Physics

See physics behind projectile motion.

Compressed air cannon physics.

A pneumatic launcher or air cannon is basically a device that uses compressed air to launch something. People commonly use air cannons for sport. Engineers use air cannons in the design of paintball guns and air soft guns. They are a great experiment to demonstrate projectile motion.

The use of compressed air cannons in an undergraduate lab provides a way to illustrate the cooperation of diverse physics concepts such as conservation of momentum the work kinetic energy. However it is not. The use of compressed air cannons in an undergraduate lab provides a way to illustrate the cooperation of diverse physics concepts such as conservation of momentum the work kinetic en ergy theorem expansion of gas air drag and elementary newtonian mechanics. Potatoes rockets or anything that can fit inside the barrel.

Both require the use of co2 canisters to provide the air to shoot the paintball or the pelets. Measurements for the air tank and barrel lengths found in steps 2 and 3 are the dimensions that we found to work well but are meant only as guidelines.