For uniformly accelerated motion (a = constant), the instantaneous acceleration is given by (3), which can be rearranged to give
When this equation is integrated from time to to t where the respective velocities are vo and v, the result is
(4)
or
The graph of velocity vs. time is thus a straight line, the slope of which is the acceleration, a. In the experiment the value of g will be determined using this fact.
When (4) is substituted into (2) and the resulting equation is rearranged, the result becomes
The value of this expression when integrated from to to t, where the respective displacements are so and s, is
This equation shows that the distance vs. time graph is parabolic.
An important fact which will be used in graphing velocity vs. time is that for motion with constant acceleration, the average velocity between two displacements equals the instantaneous velocity at the midpoint in time of the interval. That is, the average velocity between to and t equals the instantaneous velocity at the midpoint in time, (to - t)/2. This fact is important because only the average velocities are determined experimentally.
Apparatus
o freefall apparatus o two meter long meter stick
o sparker o wax-coated paper strip
o power supply o masking tape
o switch o leads for sparker and power supply
A rod fitted with a metal disk falls freely between two vertical parallel conductors composed of a rail and a wire. A high voltage pulse across the conductors is supplied at fixed time intervals by a "sparker." While the body is falling, the high voltage causes sparks to jump between both the wire and the body and the body and the rail, so that marks are recorded on a heat-sensitive, wax-coated paper strip placed on the rail.
The body is suspended by means of an electromagnet which is connected to a power supply and is released by opening a switch in the circuit.
Procedure
1) Select a sparker setting of 1/20 or 1/30 second, and record this value as . These settings will yield about 12 to 18 data points.
2) Carefully attach the wax-coated paper strip to the rail with the wax-coated side facing outward. The top of the strip is secured under a plastic pressure strip, and the bottom under a rubber band.
3) Close the switch that allows current to flow through the electromagnet, and suspend the body from the center of the electromagnet. Mark the initial location of the body's metal disk on the wax-coated strip.
4) Steady the body to eliminate any swinging motion, engage the sparker, and open the switch in the electromagnet circuit. Keep the sparker engaged until the body reaches the bottom of the freefall apparatus.
5) Carefully remove the paper strip from the freefall apparatus, and tape the strip to a flat surface.
6) Circle and number each data point with the first dot after the starting position numbered as 1. Check that the distance between dots steadily increases. If this is not the case, then contact the instructor.
7) Place the meter stick on its edge along the strip such that the graduations touch the dots. Line up dot number 1 with some convenient position on the meter stick.
8) Leave the meter stick stationary and record the meter stick reading of each dot to a fraction of a millimeter, and record in the distance column in a table similar to the one shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. An example of a format for the data table.
Analysis
The data for time and distance are recorded in columns two and three in the table. Calculate the change in distance for the ith data point as and the average velocity of the ith data point as . Compute the average velocity for intervals between every pair of data points separated by a time of 2, and enter the values in a data table. Remember that the average velocity over an interval is identical to the instantaneous velocity at the time midpoint of the interval. That is, the average velocity between data points 1 and 3 is identical to the instantaneous velocity at point 2, and so on. As an exercise only, carry the calculations one step further: compute the average acceleration between pairs of velocity values separated by a time of 2. The average acceleration of the ith data point is .
Plot distance vs. time and draw the best smooth curve through the data points. On a second sheet of graph paper, plot (instantaneous) velocity vs. time and draw the best straight line through the data points. In both graphs, the abscissa is the time axis. For accuracy, scale each graph so that it fills as much of the page as possible.
Determine the acceleration due to gravity by drawing the best eyeballed straight line through the data points on the velocity vs. time graph. (A transparent ruler is convenient for this purpose.) By constructing a large triangle, the slope of this line can be accurately determined.
Two additional methods of determining the acceleration due to gravity are:
A) Use the method of least squares (discussed in Appendix I) to find the slope of the line that best fits the points. This method yields the slope and intercept of the line that minimizes the sum of the squares of the ordinate deviations of the data.
B) Another computational technique is to average the value of the slopes that are found between appropriate pairs of points. For example, if there are 10 data points, compute the slope of the line passing through points 1 and 6, then points 2 and 7, etc., ending with the slope of the line passing through 5 and 10. The average of these 5 values yields a fairly reliable value of the acceleration.
Show all the relevant calculations of that were used for the methods used to find g. Report all the calculated values of g and the accepted value of g in a table of results and calculate the percentage errors between all calculated values and the accepted value.
Conclusions
Indicate what the major sources of error are in the experiment and explain how the experimental values are affected by the sources of error. Explain whether or not your experimental values reflect the effects of your sources of error.
