 A cannon ( plural : cannon or cannons ) is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive @-@ based propellants to launch a projectile . Cannon vary in calibre , range , mobility , rate of fire , angle of fire , and firepower ; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees , depending on the intended use . Cannon are classified as either light , medium or heavy , depending on the weight of their projectiles and the size of the propellant charges they use .
Some cannon are designed to fire a single projectile , while others are designed to fire multiple projectiles in rapid succession , or