University:
Boston University
Course:
CAS PY 211 | General Physics I
Academic year:

2022
Views:

52

Pages:

2
Author:

ke1ra3p2uaper

Gravity Lab What is the effect on an object's weight, size, and shape on how fast it falls to the ground due to gravity? Introduction: It is a common observation and point of knowledge that gravity pulls objects down. Newton quantified this observation in the 17th century with his theory of gravity. This lab will determine which characteristics of an object are important with regard to how they are affected by gravity. This is an interesting problem because gravity is constantly at work in our world, and it will be useful to understand how it acts on different types of common objects. The materials that I will be using in this lab include a tape measure, stopwatch, and numerous random objects, including a deck of cards, a tennis ball, a quarter, paper wad, a stuffed animal, a pencil, candy bars, a notebook, a sock, and a shoe. Insert hypothesis here?? – What do the students think? Let them decide the effect of gravity. Procedure: 1.) Measure a height above the ground that all of the objects will be dropped from. 2.) Choose three time takers in charge of the stop watches. 3.) Drop the objects one by one from the specified height and time how long it takes for them to hit the ground 4.) Make sure you have several measurements for each object so that you can take averages later. 5.) Calculate the acceleration due to gravity from data Data: Height from which objects were dropped: Object: Mass(g) Time to drop 1: Deck of cards 87 Racquet ball 41 Quarter 6 Paper sheet 4 Paper wad 4 Stuffed animal 159 Pencil 9 Dictionary 1664 Tin with candy 273 Sock 19 Shoe 385 Calculate the acceleration due to gravity: Time to drop 2: Time 3: Average time: X = Xo - Vot - 1/2at2 X = 0, Vo = 0, so Xo = 1/2at2 a = 2Xo/t2 Compare to accepted value of 9.8m/s2 Percent Difference: |accepted - measured|/accepted Error Analysis: What errors could have affected the outcome of this lab? - reaction time - orientation of object when dropped - air resistance Conclusion: Did all objects take the same amount of time to drop? Which ones dropped faster, which slower? What characteristics affected how long it took objects to hit the ground? Why? What other stuff is going on? Does gravity act differently on different objects? Why or Why not? What else could be acting on the objects? Is there anything else affecting the objects' speed? Which objects were most affected? What are situations in real life where this occurs? Is it good, or bad? What types of things are done to help minimize it? Reason Mass doesn't matter: F=ma, but F due to Gravity is GMm/r^2 G = 6.67 x10-11 m3/kg-s2 M = mass of earth = 6 x 1024 kg