Equipment
Mechanical
The mechanical part of the experiment is the cannon shooter comprised of the gas tank, the coil, and the barrel. The barrel should be well supported to minimize any errors from the shock of impact.
Pneumatic
Compared to standard cannons the cannon used in this experiment operates by pneumatic force. The bottle is linked by a pipe to the cannon where the pressure is held until the shot is fired. A pressure regulator controls the pressure in the cannon. The pneumatic components include: the bottle of gas, the pressure regulator, two valves and the cannon tank.
Electronic
To measure the velocity of the bullet, electronic laser equipment is installed. Two lasers cross the trajectory of the projectile at a distance of 2.5 inches. The receptor sends data to the counter when the bullet crosses each laser ray. The velocity is determined by calculating the difference in the two recorded times.
