======Shoot the Monkey======


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**Alternative titles:** Projectile Motion Independence
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Suspend a stuffed monkey (with a metal plate or shield attached) from an electromagnet.
  - Aim a spring-powered cannon directly at the monkey while it hangs.
  - As the cannon fires a steel ball, the circuit releases the electromagnet, causing the monkey to drop at the same moment.
  - Observe that the ball follows a parabolic path and strikes the monkey in midair.
  - Emphasize that the hit occurs regardless of projectile speed or distance, because both objects fall with the same gravitational acceleration.



====Links==== 
Shoot the falling target demo - Rhett Allain: 
{{youtube>28SegKEokq4?}}\\


📄 Shoot the Monkey - Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations: [[https://sciencedemonstrations.fas.harvard.edu/presentations/shoot-monkey]]\\


====Variations====
  * Adjust the cannon’s angle or spring compression to change the projectile’s speed and collision height.
  * Vary the monkey’s starting height to demonstrate collisions at different points in space.
  * Replace the monkey with another target object to keep the concept but reduce theatrical effect.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Never stand in front of the loaded cannon.
  * Secure the cannon firmly to prevent movement when firing.
  * Use a shield or barrier to protect the audience from stray projectiles or ricochets.
  * Practice loading and firing carefully; the spring mechanism requires significant force.
  * Ensure the target is padded or reinforced to withstand repeated impacts.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does the projectile always hit the monkey, regardless of speed or angle? (Because both the projectile and monkey fall with the same acceleration due to gravity.)
  * What would happen if there were no gravity? (The monkey would not fall, and the projectile would miss.)
  * How does this demonstration disprove the Aristotelian view of motion? (It shows that motion is the combination of independent horizontal and vertical components, not a mix of “violent” and “natural” motion.)