Tank Ballistics App (Projectile Motion)

Using R with Shiny it is possible to build quick, interactive applications to help teach math and physics concepts. This presentation will discuss the features of my “Tank Ballistics” application and discuss how it can be used to experiment with the parameters that impact simple (zero drag) projectile motion.

http://andrewchastain.shinyapps.io/Tank_ballistics/

In this system, we know the parameters of projectile velocity (\( V \) \( (m/s) \)), angle of attack (\( \theta \) \( (degrees) \)) and strength of gravity (\( g \) \( (m/s^2) \)). The projectile velocity can then be broken down into the x and y components as:

\( V_{x} = V * cos(\theta * (2 \pi/360)) \)
\( V_{y} = V * sin(\theta * (2 \pi/360)) \)

This can then be used to write equations of motion in the x (horizontal) and y (vertical) directions. The equations of motion are functions of time, \( t \).

\( x(t) = V_{x} * t \)
\( y(t) = V_{y} * t - 1/2 * g * t^2 \)