Free Fall Experiment

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Free Fall Experiment

One of the major topics discussed in Physics is the study of free

fall, or the effect of the force of gravity on any object. This

experiments aimed to investigate the mechanics or the action of

gravity an object by analyzing certain vectors related to free fall

versus time graphs. These studies on free fall are important if

further studies of projectile motion are being made.

The objective of the study is to show that velocity, acceleration and

distance are related such that one is actually the slope of the other.

The slope of velocity is acceleration. The slope of distance is

velocity. Hence, changes in one of the factors involving a certain

object, the other related factors are also inevitably altered. This

exercise also seeks to prove the constant of acceleration due to

gravity.

The first activity utilized the ULI, photogate and Logger Pro systems

to analyze graphs for free fall. The photogate system was first

assembled and connected to the computer using the ULI. Three graphs

were analyzed by the Logger Pro program namely distance vs. time,

velocity vs. time, and acceleration vs. time graphs. A chopper was

dropped in between the photogate, and data of various components such

as acceleration were recorded and plotted on the different graphs in

the program. After data collection, a linear fit and a quadratic curve

was tested upon the graph of distance vs. time. It was found out that

a quadratic curve would fit better for the distance vs. time graph

rather than a linear fit. This shows that the distance follows a

parabolic curve as time progress during a free fall. This is shown by

the equation X = X0 + V0t – 1/2gt2, or D= V0t – 1/2gt2 .A quadratic

equation has a form ax2 + bx + c = 0, where ax2 is –1/2gt2 , bx is V0t,

and c is X – X0 which is also the displacement or as scalar quantity,

the distance D. The graph of velocity vs. time is a linear equation,

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