PHY 1 lab 2 - Lab for acceleration due to gravity PDF

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Lab for acceleration due to gravity...

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EXPERIMENT 2 Acceleration due to Gravity Abraham Abdin Chen, De Huai PHY2048L 1/22/2019 1/26/2019 PURPOSE Measure the acceleration of a falling object assuming that the only force acting on the object is the gravitational force. EQUIPMENT Free fall adapter (ME-9207B), steel balls (16 mm, 19 mm), balance, 2m-meterstick, stand with a long rod, interface, computer. THEORY The equation describing the motion of a body starting from rest and undergoing constant acceleration can be expressed as:

d = 1/2gt^2

where d is the distance the object has traveled from its starting point, g is the acceleration of the object called acceleration due to gravity, and t is the time elapsed since the motion began. The acceleration is equal to the distance doubled, divided by the time squared: g= ½ gt^2

PROCEDURE For this laboratory activity, the free fall adapter measures the time (t) of fall for steel balls. You measure the mass of each ball and the distance (d) that the ball falls.

1. Measure and record the mass of each ball. m1 (19 mm) = (g); m2 (16 mm) = (g). 2. Connect the free fall adapter’s stereo phone plug into “D1” on the front of the interface. 3. Place the ball (19 mm) in the release mechanism. Release mechanism “d” Timing pad To interface D1 18. 4. Press the spring-loaded rod inward to hold the ball in the mechanism, and tighten the thumbscrew to hold the rod in place. 5. Place the free fall adapter’s timing pad on the floor directly below the release mechanism so that the ball hits the pad when it falls. 6. Adjust the position of the release mechanism so the bottom of the ball is about 1.65 m (first mark on the rod) above the timing pad. The ball is now in series with the triggering circuit of the timer. When the thumbscrew is turned, the mechanism pops open, releasing the ball and starting the timer. When the ball strikes the timing pad, the top plate of the pad is forced against the metal base. This automatically stops the timer. Five measurements are to be done.

• Data Set 1: Set d ~ 1.65 m, to determine the elapsed time t (s). • Data Set 2: Set d ~ 1.45 m, to determine the elapsed time t (s). • Data Set 3: Set d ~ 1.25 m, to determine the elapsed time t (s). • Data Set 4: Set d ~ 1.05 m, to determine the elapsed time t (s). • Data Set 5: Set d ~ 0.95 m, to determine the elapsed time t (s). Conclusion The objective for this experiment was to measure the acceleration of gravity for an object in free fall to less than 1% of the accepted value. While the first value was successful, we did have a large percent error for the small steel ball at 80.5%. This experiment is designed to disregard air resistance which makes mass irrelevant on how quickly the objects would fall. The only factor is the acceleration of gravity in this experiment. Thus, the acceleration of gravity should have been correspondent for both the big and small steel balls. An error could have been responsible for our miscalculations due to the adjustment of the release mechanism to the correct height making the ball readings inaccurate. Also there could have been a slight misreading from the adapter. To conclude, this experiment correctly utilized the methods in obtaining the acceleration of a falling object assuming that the only force acting on the object....