Click on the green flag to start. Set the firing speed of the cannonball by using the slider in the upper left. Click on the word "Fire" in the lower right hand corner of the screen to fire the cannon. Watch the trajectory of the cannonball. What causes the cannonball to follow the path shown? Try several different initial velocities to see what happens. How do the amount of initial Gravitational Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy when fired affect the cannonball?
This simulation demonstrates Newton's famous thought experiment. In this scenario a cannon is placed on the top of a mountain so high it expands beyond the Earth's atmosphere. As a result, when the cannonball is fired it is not subject to any air resistance. The initial velocity of the cannonball after being fired from the cannon is then adjusted to consider the likely path of the cannonball relative to Earth when it is only acted upon by the gravitational pull of the Earth.
