A cannon is a
piece of artillery that will use an explosive-based propellant or gunpowder to
launch a projectile. Each cannon is different in range, mobility, rate of fire,
angle of fire, and fire power. The original definition of the word cannon can
be translated as tube, cane, or reed. (1)
The first cannon
was used in China, and was considered to be unsafe and was smaller in
size. Quality was problematic and the cannon would burst with great
frequency.
The cannon began
to improve around mid-century. The casting was made of a mixture of tin and
bronze. However, bronze was so much more expensive than iron and the problem of
safety remained. (2)
Over time, the
price tended to fall as technology and experience improved. The cannon got much
better and soon after, gunpowder was produced.
The
cannon transformed naval warfare in the early modern period. As rifling became
more common, the accuracy and destructive power of the cannon was significantly
increased, and they became deadlier than ever. (2)
The modern day
cannon is similar to those used in the Second World War, although the
importance of larger machinery has declined with the development of the
missile. (1) However, at the same time, it is more commonly used now since it
is attached to the army tank.
A cannonball has
to be spherical. Otherwise, they would tumble uncontrollably due to air
resistance, and tend to arrange the long axis of the projectile perpendicular
to the direction of projection, giving maximum drag. (1)
~
Projectile
motion is when an object is fired at some initial velocity or dropped and is
moved under the influence of gravity.
The
most important thing to remember about projectile motion is that the effect of
gravity is independent on the horizontal motion of the object. (3)
The
best angle to have in order to get a large horizontal distance is 45. It's
only the best trajectory if you have a launcher that has a fixed launch
velocity regardless of launch angle and your projectile has no lift and you are
interested in getting the maximum horizontal displacement on a level
plane. (3)
(1) Cannon. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hyw.com/books/history/cannon.htm
(2) Calvert, J. B. (2009, September 04). Cannon. Retrieved from http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/cannon.htm
(3) Projectile motion. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.splung.com/content/sid/2/page/projectiles
