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Free Fall Lab Report

The student conducted an experiment to determine the acceleration due to gravity (g) by dropping metal balls from various heights and measuring the time taken to pass through a light gate. The student's hypothesis was that the measured value of g would equal the known value of 9.81 m/s^2. Materials used included an electromagnet, light gate, and laptop running analysis software. The experiment found the average measured value of g to be 9.54 m/s^2, close to the expected 9.81 m/s^2. Sources of error and ways to improve accuracy, such as increasing trials and controlling air currents, were also discussed.

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117 views

Free Fall Lab Report

The student conducted an experiment to determine the acceleration due to gravity (g) by dropping metal balls from various heights and measuring the time taken to pass through a light gate. The student's hypothesis was that the measured value of g would equal the known value of 9.81 m/s^2. Materials used included an electromagnet, light gate, and laptop running analysis software. The experiment found the average measured value of g to be 9.54 m/s^2, close to the expected 9.81 m/s^2. Sources of error and ways to improve accuracy, such as increasing trials and controlling air currents, were also discussed.

Uploaded by

Pranav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Free Fall Lab Report

Name: Pranav Sawkar


Class: XI F
Date: 22/10/18
Research Question:
What is the value of G obtained when metal balls are dropped from different
heights?

Background Information:
- The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.81 m/s
- Any falling object that is within Earth’s gravitational field will
experience this force and react to it

Hypothesis:
- The value of the acceleration will equal to the value of G

Variables:
Independent Variable: The height from which the ball drops

Dependent Variable: The time taken for the metal ball to pass through the light
gate

Controlled Variables:
- The part of the ball that passes through the light gate
- The surrounding wind
Materials:

- DC Power source
- 2 wires
- 2 Clamp stands
- Electromagnet
- Metal Ball
- Light gate
- Vernier lab pro set
- Laptop running Vernier Logger Pro

Procedures:

1) Connect the DC power supply to a power outlet


2) Connect the electromagnet to the DC power supply
3) Place the electromagnet on the clamp stand
4) Place the light gate on the clamp stand
5) Connect the light gate to the Vernier lab pro
6) Connect the lab pro to your laptop
7) Run Vernier logger pro on your laptop
8) Switch on the electromagnet
9) Attach the metal ball to the electromagnet
10) Measure the required height and adjust the clamp stand that’s
holding the light gate
11) Make sure that the projected path of the ball passes through the
center of the light gate
12) Repeat the experiment and calculate the average of the results for a
more accurate reading.
13) Repeat steps 9 to 12 for all the required heights
Conclusion:

The average acceleration of the metal ball due to gravity is 9.54 m/s^2 and this
is close to the gravitational constant of Earth as was previously mentioned in the
hypothesis. This is because the distance covered by the ball is relatively small in
order for the air resistance to have a notable effect. The experiment also takes
place within the Earth’s gravitational field and this the acceleration due to
gravity is the only major force acting on the object once it’s been released from
the electromagnet.
Evaluation:
The number of trials could be increased in order to weed out anomalous data.
But overall the data that was collected seems to be mostly accurate as the value
of G it produced was very close to the actual G constant of Earth. However,
there were certain improvements that could be made in order to make the
experiment more reliable/accurate. The experiment should’ve been performed
in a room with the windows closed and the fans/air conditioners switched off.
This is because the breeze that they produce has a chance of shifting the ball
from its projected path.

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