Dart Guns

PIRA 1G10.08

The two dart guns shown at left are almost identical. Their ranges with identical darts are within 4" of each other. They will do equal work on darts of different mass, giving them the same initial kinetic energy.

Good questions to ask students are: Which dart will have the larger muzzle velocity? When shot horizontally, which dart will shoot farther? When shot horizontally and simultaneously, which dart will hit the ground first? Which dart will go higher if they are shot straight up? One question that is sure to stump some students is: Which dart will hit the ground first if they are simultaneously shot straight down? It is best to stand on a ladder or desk for this.

Some discussion of Newton's Second Law regarding the accelerations of the darts when they are being shot is also useful.