The aim of this experiment is to prove that a falling body has a constant force of gravity on it, no matter what the distance or time taken for the object to fall. The value of gravity or "g" will be determined.

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The aim of this experiment is to prove that a falling body has a constant force of gravity on it, no matter what the distance or time taken for the object to fall. The value of gravity or "g" will be determined. 

THEORY 

The most simple example of linear motion is a body falling to Earth. When the body is dropped from a height we know that the object will always fall directly towards the centre of the Earth. This though will not happen if a feather is dropped as due to its shape and the forces of drag, upthrust and various others act upon it with greater effect. So providing these forces in our experiments and calculations are negligible by using suitable materials it is fair to say an object falls towards the Earths centre. 

When the plastercine passes through gate A the computer will immediately start the clock. When the light is broken at gate B the clock will stop. The computer will then process this information and display the starting velocity through gate A and the final velocity through gate B. The readings that the computer shows will have only a 1% error. To make sure that the values of "g" I calculate does not just apply to that one situation the distance will be a variable. The light gates will be attatched to a clamp stand and the distance altered. This will be measured by hand with a ruler which has again a 1% error as it is measured to the nearest millimeter. 

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FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Measurement of results"

The mass will not affect the results but the same amount shall still be used in order to prove beyond a doubt that gravity is constant. 
The range of results will be from 0.3m to 0.6m. This is because at a smaller distance the computer is unable to register the speeds fast enough, and at a greater distance the light gates do not connect with the computer. By taking 5cm intervals enough results can be taken to plot a graph. 
In order for my results to be reliable I shall take three readings for each distance. An average ...

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