Projectile Target Challenge
A target sits somewhere downrange. You control the cannon's launch angle and speed — gravity does the rest. Dial in your shots using the range equation and land all five hits.
Aim the cannon and fire!
How to play
Set the launch angle (degrees above horizontal) with the slider.
Set the launch speed in m/s with the slider.
Press Fire and watch the projectile fly under gravity alone.
Score a hit by landing within the target zone.
You get 5 shots per round; the target moves each round.
Scoring
Each direct hit scores 100 points minus 10 points per miss before the hit. A perfect round (5 first-shot hits) scores 500. Three rounds make a full game.
Levels
Rookie range
Target at 20-40 m. No wind. Learn how angle and speed change the landing point.
Marksman
Target at 40-70 m. Smaller target zone — the 45-degree rule becomes your best friend.
Sharpshooter
Target at 60-100 m with a narrow zone. You will need the range equation, not luck.
What physics did you just use?
You just used projectile motion: horizontal velocity stays constant while gravity accelerates the projectile downward at 9.8 m/s². The range R = v₀²·sin(2θ)/g explains everything you discovered — range is zero at 0° and 90°, peaks at 45°, and symmetric angles like 30° and 60° land in the same spot. Artillery crews, basketball players, and aerospace engineers all solve this same equation, with air drag added for the real world.
Key concepts
- Projectile motion
- Range equation R = v₀²sin(2θ)/g
- Independence of horizontal and vertical motion
- 45° maximum range