This is a fun activity to do with students near the end of the projectile unit. I divide my classes into groups of 4-5 and set up a tournament bracket. I provide students with an abundance of tools/instruments (motion detectors, photo gates, stop watch, rulers, scale, etc.) to see which ones they choose to use and why.
I started this lesson off with showing my sudents this video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdKI6WS7ghE ). I created this lesson before the opening of this ride so it is now a bit dated. However, the assignment will still work or it can be revised to account for new information on the slide. I use the assignment with my honors classes to challenge them and give them a real world application. There is a small part of the assignment that requires trigonometry. Most of my honors students have had trig but I worked this part of the assignment with the class just in case.
The Hovercraft is a great Lab used in the Application of Forces Unit. This Lab can be used to show velocity, acceleration, and to measure forces on a body. Students will actually ride on a cushion of air in this lab.