E.E.

I
Determining the rate of acceleration due to gravity

By Tory Sciacca
Date: 20/10/14
Partner: Julian Brecevic, Jake Carucan

Part 1: Determining Acceleration using a Ticker Timer


Aim:
To use a ticker timer to record the motion of a free-falling body, and to determine the acceleration
acting upon the body using different weights

Hypothesis:
The more weight, the higher the rate of acceleration

Method:
1. Use a retort stand and clamp to fasten the ticker timer
2. Take a piece of tape long enough to easily reach from the timer to the floor
3. Thread one end through the timer and fasten the 50 grams to it with sticky tape
4. Turn on the timer and drop the 50g so it pulls the tape through the timer as it falls
5. Label the tape
6. Repeat steps 2-5 with 100g
7. Repeat steps 2-5 with 295g
8. Number the dots on your tape, mark the first clear dot as 0 and the 1,2,3, ect
9. Draw lines appropriate for the amount of dots
10. Create a table of results for each tape

Materials:
Ticker Timer
Power Supply
Paper Tape
Retort Stand
Clamp
Slotted Masses/Weights
Sticky-Tape

Results:

295g
Dots Time
(s)
Distance of each section (cm) Avg speed of each section
(m/s)
Acc during each section
(m/s
2
)
0-2 0.04 3.5 87.5 2187.5
2-4 0.04 5 125.0 937.5
4-6 0.04 6.5 162.5 937.5
6-8 0.04 8.5 212.5 1250.0
8-10 0.04 9 225.0 312.5
10-12 0.04 10 250.0 625.0
12-14 0.04 13 325.0 1875.0
14-16 0.04 14 350.0 625.0
16-18 0.04 14 350.0 0.0





100g
Dots Time
(s)
Distance of each section (cm) Avg speed of each section
(m/s)
Acc during each section
(m/s
2
)
0-2 0.04 1 25.0 625.0
2-4 0.04 2.3 57.5 812.5
4-6 0.04 3.3 82.5 625.0
6-8 0.04 4.5 112.5 750.0
8-10 0.04 6 150.0 937.5
10-12 0.04 7.5 187.5 937.5
12-14 0.04 8.6 215.0 687.5
14-16 0.04 9.6 240.0 625.0
16-18 0.04 10 250.0 250.0

0.0
100.0
200.0
300.0
400.0
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
Vel
0.0
500.0
1000.0
1500.0
2000.0
2500.0
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
Acc




50g
Dots Time
(s)
Distance of each section (cm) Avg speed of each section
(m/s)
Acc during each section
(m/s
2
)
0-2 0.04 1.3 32.5 812.5
2-4 0.04 2.5 62.5 750.0
4-6 0.04 3 75.0 312.5
6-8 0.04 3.7 92.5 437.5
8-10 0.04 4.5 112.5 500.0
10-12 0.04 5.2 130.0 437.5
12-14 0.04 5.8 145.0 375.0
14-16 0.04 7 175.0 750.0


0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
300.0
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
Vel
0.0
200.0
400.0
600.0
800.0
1000.0
1200.0
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
Acc
0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40
Vel


Questions:
1. What Happens to the speed of the mass as it falls?
It accelerated but the speed was not constant and fluctuated

2. How does the motion of the 100g weights compare to the 50g weight?
The 100g is a lot faster then the 50g because of the weight diffrences

4. Compare the two experimental acceleration values with the accepted value of acceleration of
freely falling objects (Gravity = 9.8m/s
2
)
To answer the question you would need to take down the height of which the weight was dropped but
unfortunately the height was not taken down in this experiment.

Improvements:
What are two sources that could be done to improve the experiment?
1. The dots might have been off but one or two dots that would give a more accurate reading
2. The amount of dots used, the first dot might not have been the real first dot this also would
have given a more accurate reading


Conclusion:
In conclusion the results show that the higher weight at the end if the ticker timer used to put the tape
through the machine will increase the rate of acceleration, this is almost the same as hypothesized.




















0.0
200.0
400.0
600.0
800.0
1000.0
0.00 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30
Acc


Part 2: Determining acceleration using a stopwatch
Hypothesis:
The heavier basketball will fall a little bit faster (no less than 0.5 seconds) then the smaller tennis ball

Results:
Basketball
Trial Height (M) Timer (S)
1 4.9 0.98
2 4.9 1.02
3 4.9 1.04
4 4.9 1.09
5 4.9 1.02
Average time: 1 second

Tennis Ball
Trial Height (M) Timer (S)
1 4.9 1.1
2 4.9 0.9
3 4.9 1.06
4 4.9 0.92
5 4.9 1.02
Average time: 1.3 seconds



Questions:
1. Write in your own words what you discovered in this experiment.
The larger the ball the faster it takes to hit the ground

2. Is there any evidence to suggest that the acceleration of an object depends on the objects
mass?
There is evidence in the results above showing the average of larger ball is shorter then the average
of a smaller ball

Improvements:
What are two sources that could be done to improve the experiment?
1. More accurate with the stopping of the stopwatch, this could be done by taking more trails
or drops
2. Including the weight of the ball to get more cleat results




Conclusion:
In conclusion the more weight a ball has the faster it will fall compared to a ball that has less weight
this is evident in results shown above. The hypothesis in the write up was slightly wrong on the
prediction of time but neither the less predicted that the basketball would land first if both were
dropped at the same time.