Speed, Acceleration, and Free Fall
Objective:
The objective of this experiment is to find the acceleration of gravity.
Hypothesis:
The acceleration of the marble will always be constant. Since the weight of the marble and the acceleration of gravity remains the same, then the acceleration of the marble will not alter. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the marble will fall at a constant acceleration of about -9.8 m/s², the acceleration of gravity.
Materials:
physics stand
ball dropper
clamps A and B
ball catcher
timer
marble
Procedure:
To begin, set up the stand and secure it properly. Then attach the ball dropper, ball catcher, and clamps A and B.
Test the experiment to make sure the marble will fall from the ball dropper into the ball catcher without hitting the sides of the ball catcher.
When ready, drop the marble and record the result in the data table.
To calculate the speed of the marble at each clamp, use the times from clamp A to clamp B.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for at least 6 different distances from 0.1 meters to 0.6 meters, and continue to record the data.
Data
Distance of Falling
(m)
(m) Time from Clamp A
TA (sec) Speed at
Clamp A
VA (m/sec) Time from Clamp B
TB (sec) Speed at
Clamp B
VB (m/sec) Time from
A to B
TAB (sec)
0.1 0.0198 0.96 0.0107 1.76 0.0853
0.2 0.0186 1.02 0.0082 2.32 0.1316
0.3 0.0198 0.96 0.0071 2.68 0.1748
0.4 0.0189 1.01 0.0063 3.02 0.2077
0.5 0.0186 1.02 0.0053 3.59 0.2389
0.6 0.0193 0.99 0.0050 3.80 0.2730
Analysis: (see graph attached)
Slope: (3.0-1.3)/(.20-.05)= 11.3
Equation: y=mx+b
3=11.3(.2)+b
b=.73
y=11.3x+.73
Conclusion:
After completing the procedure, the equation of the line representing the data is y = 11.3x+.73 meaning the acceleration of the marble in free fall was 11.3 m/s and not the predicted -9.8 m/s as stated in the hypothesis. It was also observed that as the distance between the to clamps increased, the...