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Free Fall
Free Fall
I Physics Department Experiment 5: Free Fall Acceleration due to gravity from free fall
Objectives To study the free fall motion To nd the acceleration due to gravity from free fall time(t) of bodies with dierent masses To draw the relation between falling distance and time and calculate (g) Equipment to be used Experimental setup for free fall (Figure 1) Steel balls of dierent masses Measuring devices: ruler Free fall timer References: R. A. Serway, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Section 3.5. Freely Falling Bodies. Douglas. C. Giancoli. Physics Principles with applications, (3rd edition), Chapter 2. D. Halliday, R. Resnick and J.Walker, Fundamentals of Physics, Chapter 16.
Theory
By a freely falling body we mean that a body that is uniformaly accelerated by the inuence of the gravitational acceleration when air resistance is negligible. In vacuum, all falling objects have the same acceleration due to gravity. In reality; however, dierent objects have slightly dierent acceletations due to air inuence on there motion. when a body is falling freely through the air, the eect of air friction depends on size, shape, density, and surface area of the falling object. This friction naturally reduces their acceleration. The equations of motion for constant acceleration can be applied to the freely falling objects near the earth's surface. The position of a falling object during its vertical ight as a function of time can be shown as: 1 y(t) = yo + vo t + gt2 2 (1)
where yo is the initial position of the falling object, vo is its initial velocity at time t = 0, the term ( y(t) yo ) is the falling hieght h whish is the distance the object has traveled from its starting point during time t, and g is the acceleration due to gravity. The magnitude of g at sea level and 45o latitude is equal to 9.80665 m/s2 . This magnitude of g may by slightly dierent from one position to another on the earth's surface depending on how far are we from the center of the earth. In this experiment if we consider the falling object to start its motion from rest then equatuin 1 will be simplied to : y(t) yo = h = 1 g t2 2 (2)
you will study this relation between the heights of two falling objects (steel balls) and time, and calculate the value of g for each one of them using the relation: 2h g = 2 (3) t If your results obtained with dierent heights t the law in equation 1, then g should be constant and you can use your experimental results for the determination of g.
Kuwait University Course 125 Phys. Lab. 1 Student's Name: Physics Department Experiment 5: Free Fall Student's Number: Date: Group:
Laboratory Assignment
1. Based on your results, the acceleration due to gravity in Kuwait has the accepted value g =
2. Why the acceleration due to gravity might depend on the coordinates on Earth's surface?
3. The free fall time and nal velocity for a height of h m will be (ll the table): height h in m t= s vf inal m/s 365 m (liberation tower) 10 m (roof of your house) 1.25 m (this experiment)
Kuwait University Course 125 Phys. Lab. 1 Student's Name: Physics Department Experiment 5: Free Fall Student's Number: Date: Group:
Kuwait University Course 125 Phys. Lab. 1 Student's Name: Physics Department Experiment 5: Free Fall Student's Number: Date: Group: