LD

Physics
Leaflets

Mechanics
Translational motions of a mass point
Free fall

P1.3.5.1

Free fall:
time measurement with the
contact plate and the counter S

Objects of the experiment

g Measuring the falling times of a ball between the holding magnet and the contact plate for recording the pathtime diagram point by point.
g Confirming the proportionality between the falling distance and the square of the falling time.
g Determining the acceleration of gravity.

Principles
When a body falls in the gravitational field of the earth from a
height h to the ground, it experiences a constant acceleration
g as long as the falling distance is small and friction can be
neglected. This motion is called free fall.
If the body starts at the time t0 = 0 with the initial velocity v0 =
0, the distance it cover in the time t is
h

g t
2

(I).

Thus the free fall is an example of a uniformly accelerated

motion.
In the experiment, the free fall is investigated on a steel ball
which is suspended from an electromagnet (see Fig. 1). Due
to its gravitational force
F m g

1214-Kr/Sel

(II)
m: mass of the ball
it falls downward in a uniformly accelerated motion as soon
as the electromagnet is switched off. In this moment the
electronic time measurement is started. Having covered
the falling distance h, the ball hits a contact plate and stops
the measurement at the falling time t. The measuring
results for various falling distances are entered in a pathtime diagram as pairs of values. As the ball is at rest at the
beginning of the time measurement, Eq. (I) can be used to
determine the acceleration of gravity g.

Fig. 1

Experimental setup for determining the acceleration of

gravity with the contact plate and the counter S

P1.3.5.1

LD Physics leaflets
Carrying out the experiment

Apparatus
1 large contact plate, incl. steel ball

Set the operating mode of the counter to tEF by pressing

the MODE key several times.

If necessary, press the contact plate back into the zero

position.

Press the START key so that the associated status LED

shines.

Press the key of the holding magnet adapter quickly to

start the free fall of the ball.

When the ball has hit the contact plate, read the falling
time and take it down.

Reduce the falling distance h by 5 cm by lowering the

holding magnet, press the contact plate into its zero
position, and reset the counter S to zero by pressing the
Start key.

Suspend the ball anew, and repeat the measurement.

Reduce the falling distance in steps of 5 cm, each time

repeating the measurement.

336 23

1 holding magnet with multiclamp

336 21
1 holding magnet adapter with a release mechanism
336 25
1 counter S

575 471

2 stand bases MF
3 stand rods, 10 mm, 25 cm
1 stand rod, 12 mm, 150 cm
2 Leybold multiclamps

301 21
301 26
300 46
301 01

1scale with pointers

311 23

connecting leads

Measuring example
Table 1: falling times t measured for various falling distances
h

Setup
The experimental setup is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Set the two stand bases MF up so that the bores are in

front and establish a rigid connection between then stand
bases using two short stand rods.

Clamp the scale in the left stand base MF and the long
stand rod in the right one. The scale and the stand rod
should not touch the ground.

Mount the contact plate at the lower end of the stand rod
and the holding magnet at the upper end of the stand rod.

h
cm

t
ms

h
cm

t
ms

100

458

50

328

95

448

45

311

90

437

40

292

85

424

35

273

80

411

30

256

75

398

25

233

If necessary press the contact plate into the zero position

(horizontally aligned, i.e. the switch is closed).

Align the scale and the contact plate so that the height of
the black impact surface is exactly 0 cm.

70

384

20

209

Connect the connecting leads to the holding magnet and

plug the free ends in the bores of the left stand base MF.

65

374

15

184

Connect the holding magnet adapter with release

mechanism to the free ends of the connecting leads and,
on the other side, to the input E of the counter S.

60

357

10

149

55

343

106

Using connecting leads, connect the two 4 mm sockets of

the contact plate to the two 4 mm sockets of the input F of
the counter S (right socket to ground).

Connect the counter to the mains by means of the plug-in

power supply.

Evaluation

Arrange soft material around the contact plate as a

cushion for the ball when it bounces from the contact
plate.

With the values from Table 1 we obtain:

Suspend the ball from the holding magnet, and align the
holding magnet so that the falling ball hits exactly the
black impact surface.

a) Falling distances h = 10 cm, 40 cm and 90 cm:

t (40 cm)
t(10 cm)
t (90 cm)
t (10 cm)

Suspend the ball from the holding magnet anew, and turn
the knurled screw back until the ball just adheres to the
magnet.

0,292 s
0,149 s
0,437 s
0,149 s

1,96 2
2,93 3

For falling distances with the ratio 9 : 4 : 1, the ratio of the

falling times is 3 : 2 : 1.

Adjust the distance h = 100 cm between the lower edge of

the ball and the contact plate.

That means, the falling distance is proportional to the square

of the falling time.
2

P1.3.5.1

LD Physics leaflets
b) complete evaluation:
Fig. 2 shows the path-time diagram of the ball based on the
values from Table 1. The ball experiences a uniform
acceleration due to its gravitational force. Therefore the
falling distance h covered is not a linear function of the time t.
This is confirmed by a fit of the measured values to a
parabola.
A linearization in obtained in Fig. 3 by plotting the falling
distance against the square of the falling time (compare Table
2). Eq. (I) is confirmed by the agreement of the fitted straight
line through the origin with the measured values. The slope A
of the straight line gives
g 2 A 9, 43
m
s

Literature value of the acceleration of gravity for Europe:

m
g 9,81 2
s

Fig. 2

Path-time diagram of the free fall of the ball

Table 2: Values of t calculated for various falling distances h

h
cm

Fig. 3

2
2

100

s
0.210

95

h
cm

2
2

50

s
0.108

0.201

45

0.097

90

0.191

40

0.085

85

0.180

35

0.075

80

0.169

30

0.066

75

0.158

25

0.054

70

0.147

20

0.044

65

0.140

15

0.034

60

0.127

10

0.022

55

0.118

0.011

Falling distance as a function of the square of the falling time

Result
In a free fall, the falling distance h is proportional to the falling
time t. From the factor of proportionality the acceleration of
gravity g can be calculated.

Supplementary information
In the evaluation, the fact that the ball falls with a delay of a
few milliseconds after pressing the Start key was not taken
into account. This effect is the greater, the lower the knurled
screw of the holding magnet has been turned.
Moreover, the contact plate stops the time measurement
after the ball has hit it with a certain delay.
If, for example a time delay of 7.5 ms is taken into account in
the present measuring data, the overall agreement of the
measured value with the literature value of the acceleration of
gravity is even better.

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