PURPOSE
Measure the acceleration of a falling object assuming that the only force acting on the object is the gravitational force.
THEORY
In this lab, a free fall adapter measures the time it takes for a steel ball to fall. The distance in which the ball falls will be measured. The equation, d=1/2gt² describes a body starting from rest and undergoing constant acceleration; d is the distance, g is the acceleration and t is the time. Acceleration is equal to distance doubled divided by time squared, g= 2d/t². Two different sized balls will be used in this experiment to calculate the acceleration.
CONCLUSION
The acceleration was successfully calculated to be 0.4104m/s² for the 0.017kg ball and 0.4032m/s² for the 0.028kg ball. The ball with less weight travels slightly faster than the ball with heavier weight. The time pad measured the time it took for the steel ball to fall upon manual release from a certain height (distance). There is a 95% difference between the calculated acceleration and the accepted value. Different mass and size of the objects can affect gravitational acceleration. Possible sources of errors in this experiment include: not using the correct height, failure to utilize the computer programs efficiently thus skewing the time calculation. Improvements for future experiments include: getting familiar with the tools that are used in the experiment and making sure the procedure is followed through.
QUESTIONS AND EXERCISES
1. It is possible to use a stopwatch to measure the ball’s falling time, however, the accuracy in the g measurements will not be as precise as the time pad.
2. There is a 95% difference between the measured value of the acceleration and the accepted value.
3. The possible reasons for the differences include mass, size, and distance.
4. Gravitation acceleration varies depending on the mass and size of the object and how far it