Experiment 1: Falling in a Gravitational Field

Experiment 1: Falling in a Gravitational Field
In this experiment, you will investigate the effect of gravity on falling objects. Materials 1 Coffee Filter
1 Cork
1 Marble
1 Popper
Stopwatch
Tape Measure 1 Wooden Block
*Basketball, Baseball, or Football
*Pencil
*You Must Provide Procedure
Using a pencil (or piece of tape), measure and mark a distance that you will drop multiple
objects from. An open space near a wall or a table top are ideal. Record the distance in Table
1.
1. Hold the coffee at the marked height and drop it.
2. Use the stopwatch to record the time it takes for the filter to hit the ground. Record
the time in Table 1.
3. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for an additional nine trials. Record your trials so that you can
calculate and record the average free fall time, but the trials will not be recorded in
Table 1.
4. Calculate and record the average free fall time in Table 1.
5. Use the equation to calculate the acceleration of each object. Record the calculated
acceleration in Table 1.
6. Repeat Steps 2 - 5 for each object: cork, marble, popper, wooden block and sports
ball. Table 1: Average Free Fall Time for Various Objects
© 2014 eScience Labs, LLC.
All Rights Reserved Height (m) Object Average Free Fall
Time (s) Calculated
Acceleration (m/s2) Post-Lab Questions
1. How does the rate of acceleration you calculated for each object compare? Are they
similar or different? Why? 2. Compare the rate of acceleration for the objects with the acceleration calculated in
the Pre Lab Question for the acceleration at Earth’s surface with a percent error
calculation. How do they compare? 3. The acceleration due to gravity calculated this way works well for objects near the
Earth’s surface. How would you have to change the equation if the object was
100,000 meters above the ground? 4. How does air resistance alter the way we perceive falling objects? © 2014 eScience Labs, LLC.
All Rights Reserved 5. Is the force acting on a massive object larger than that acting on a less massive one?
How can you verify this without taking any measurements? 6. How does Newton’s concept of inertia help us understand why massive objects don’t
accelerate faster than smaller ones in a gravitational field? © 2014 eScience Labs, LLC.
All Rights Reserved