Modeling Coriolis Effect on long-range projectiles´ motion

• Main Authors: Edgar David Guarin, Néstor Méndez-Hincapié
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Asociación de Profesores de Física de Argentina 2016-06-01
• Series: Revista de Enseñanza de la Física
• Subjects: Modelación; Pseudo-fuerzas; Efecto Coriolis; Física computacional; Enseñanza de la mecánica clásica
• Online Access: https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/revistaEF/article/view/14689

Pseudo-forces originated by Earth´s rotation affect the parabolic motion of projectiles moving at the planet´s surface. These forces deviate the howitzers of their launching plane, preventing their arrival to the targeted location. This effect is called the Coriolis Effect and depends on different variables such as shell´s position, velocity, shooting direction, etc. In order to better understand the projectile´s trajectory taking this effect into account, a computational model was developed considering the movement of a shell from a non-inertial reference frame (the Earth) point of view, using the C++ programming language and some numerical methods for the resolution of the equations. Thus, the basic model used for the creation of numerical code allows graphic representation of any conditions showing the dynamic behavior of the projectile. This work further reinforces the importance of computer modeling of dynamic systems on physics education, since it helps students to approach complex physical phenomena with an understandable visual tool.<br /><br />