With a few simple steps, the ballistic pendulum is quickly rebuilt into a throwing device with a variable/variable firing angle. The ballistic pendulum, a common method for determining the speed of a pistol bullet, is to push them into a sandbag. With the ballistic pendulum, a harmless variant of this experiment can be performed in the classroom.

• A steel ball is pushed horizontally against a pendulum and is caught by it. The maximum angular angle of the pendulum is then read on a special scale
• The projectile mass, pendulum mass and maximum angular range are now known quantities that can be used to calculate the system's potential energy.
• The potential energy of the pendulum plus the ball is equal to the kinetic of the ball at the moment of launch. This means that the velocity of the ball, when it hits the pendulum, can be calculated
• The velocity of the sphere can also be determined with two photocells connected to a counter. If the calculated and measured ball velocity is compared, a very good correspondence will be found between the measured values ​​

Variation possibilities: Different balls with a diameter of 19-25 mm can be used, The impact between the pendulum and the ball can be made inelastic (the ball is caught) or elastic (the ball can bounce against the pendulum), 3 different firing speeds can be used, The pendulum mass can be increased by attaching / attaching weights with slit. Throwing device: With throwing lengths of 3 m, a large part of the classroom becomes a practice area. Accuracy and precision in manufacturing results in high mechanical stability. This guarantees a spread of the bullet hit point of about 1%.

The ball is held with an electron magnet and the ejection angle can be varied from 0 ° (horizontal) to 90 ° (vertical), 3 different firing speeds can be selected. After free flight, the ball hits a special paper. The point of impact is colored blue, The throw length is measured with a measuring tape, Place 2 photocells at the bullet's launching opening and connect it to a counter. Slide the ball away and the firing speed can be read directly.