Sunday October 13th 2024
Physics: Mechanics I
Physics: Project 19th September
Josemaría Arredondo Guevara &
Diego García Rojo - 11º
1. Summary:
The free fall experiment aimed to observe the time it takes for a sponge ball to fall from
varying heights and to calculate the object’s acceleration using the recorded time
information. The setup was simple: a simple sponge ball was dropped from three different
heights (160 cm, 150 cm, and 140 cm), and the fall time was measured for each attempt. By
applying the acceleration formula and analyzing the time values, the experiment allowed us to
explore the principles of motion under gravitational influence without air resistance.
2. Introduction:
Free fall is the motion of an object where gravity is the only force acting upon it, assuming
air resistance is negligible (Britannica, 1998). In this experiment, we examined the relationship
between the height of release and the time it takes for a sponge ball to reach the ground.
According to classical mechanics, the acceleration of an object in free fall near the Earth’s
surface basically should be approximately 9.81 m/s^2. This experiment allows us to calculate
the acceleration based on the recorded fall times and to confirm whether our results align with
this theoretical value.
3. Hypothesis:
The acceleration of the falling sponge ball will approach the value of 9.81 m/s^2 regardless of
the initial height, as gravity remains constant. The fall time should increase slightly as the height
increases, but the overall acceleration will remain close to the expected theoretical value.
4. Materials & Methodology:
Materials:
● Sponge Ball
● Measuring tape (for the height)
● Chronometer
● Height markers (at 160 cm, 150 cm and 140 cm)
Methodology:
1. The sponge ball was dropped from a height of 160 cm, and the fall time was recorded for
5 trials.
2. The same process was repeated from a height of 150 cm and 140 cm, again with 5 trials
each.
3. For each set of heights, the times were averaged, and using the formula h = ½ at^2
(substituting it to gather the acceleration ) the acceleration was calculated for each
attempt.
5. Results
Height Time (sec) Time (sec) Time (sec) Time (sec) Time (sec) Average
(cm) Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Time (sec)
160 0.59 0.57 0.55 0.60 0.62 0.586
150 0.56 0.55 0.57 0.56 0.59 0.566
140 0.54 0.55 0.54 0.53 0.57 0.546
6. Substitutions
Using the formula for acceleration:
a = 2h/t^2
Where h is the height and t is the average time.
For 160 cm (1.60 m):
a = 2(1.60)/(0.586)^2 = 9.33 m/s^2
For 150 cm (1.50 m):
a = 2(1.50)/(0.566)^2 = 9.35 m/s^2
For 140 cm (1.40 m):
a = 2(1.40)/(0.546)^2 = 9.39 m/s^2
7. Discussion and Conclusion
Discussing this experiment, we calculated the acceleration of a sponge ball in free fall from
different heights. The results show that the acceleration remains close to the expected 9.81 m/s2,
with minor variations likely due to experimental inaccuracies, such as human reaction time when
using the chronometer.
Despite the simplicity of the setup, the results align with the theory that objects in free fall near
the Earth’s surface experience a constant acceleration due to gravity. Differences in the
acceleration values (ranging from 9.33 m/s^2 to 9.39 m/s^2) can be attributed to minor timing
errors, not exactly timing and potential air conditions, although the latter was not a significant
factor due to the small mass and surface area of the sponge ballon no problem.
Further refinements, such as using a more precise timing method, could reduce these
discrepancies. However, the experiment successfully demonstrates the basic principles of free
fall and gravitational acceleration.
8. Word Count: 637
9. References:
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (1998, 20 julio). Free fall | Definition, Examples, &
Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. [Accessed on October 13th] Available at:
[Link]
Introduction to Free Fall Motion. (s. f.). [Accessed on October 13th] Available at:
[Link]
*and of course the evidence of the experiment is on the google drive folder, (they are
videos).
