Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My child is in the research stages of the paintball ballistic science project. The objective of the project is to compare the calculated or expected values based on calculations to the actual range and launch velocity of a paintball. I understand the actual range and launch velocity are measured during the experiment. My question is where does a sixth grader come up with the expected values based on calculations? Please respond as soon as possible. Thank You!

I assume you're talking about the project here: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... p054.shtml

All of the equations you need to calculate the velocity based on the time of flight are in the experiment description. The only way to determine the "expected" values would be to look at the specifications of the paintball gun, as each gun will have a different "expected" velocity (also, the experiment suggests using a variable velocity gun, and different CO2 cartridges might have different pressures which could vary the speed).

Is there a more specific question I might answer?