The Math Behind Cannons

Math Component of Cannons

Formula: h = -16t²+v₀t+h₀

• How high does the cannonball go?  608 ft.
• How long is the cannonball in the air?  12 seconds

      A cannonball is shot upward from the upper deck of a fort with an initial velocity of 192 feet per second.  The deck is 32 feet above the ground.

Steps:

1. Graph model
2. Go to table
3. X is time, Y is feet
4. At 0 seconds, the height is at 32 feet
5. The highest Y is 608, so it's the maximum height of the cannonball
6. After that, the Y gets smaller
7. When the Y is 32, the X is 12
8. It took 12 seconds for the cannonball to get to 608 ft, and hit the ground at 32 ft.