Gun and Monkey Physics Problem
Problem: A
monkey you were supposed to be watching escaped and is
now hanging from a tree branch only a short distance away from you. You have a
tranquilizer dart gun and are trying to aim at it. You know the monkey has
lightning reflexes and will let go of the branch the second he sees you shoot.
Where should you aim, right at it, above it, or below it?
Controls for the Applet: In this program you can set the
velocity of the dart, the angle(i.e. where you are
aiming), and the force of gravity acting upon the dart and the monkey. In order
to set each of these you must enter the desired information into the
corresponding labeled text fields and then hit reset. You also may turn off and
on the tracks function which shows how the dart traveled mid air. In order to
launch the dart and see if your shot hit, press the fire button and watch. If
the dart hits its target the animation will stop and the dart will be sticking
out of the monkey, if not the dart will simply fly past until it hits the wall
behind the monkey where you can then change your settings and try again.
Purpose of the Applet: Using this applet we hope to prove
that no matter what the velocity of the gun, if you have an infinite space in
the y direction and equal gravity enacting upon the dart and monkey. If you aim
at the monkey you will eventually hit it with 100% accuracy.