Experiment 2: Free Fall

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Lawrence Lao                                                                                July 4. 2005

Patrick Marayag                                                                                Ms. Macabebe

Ps 15 A

EXPERIMENT 2: FREE FALL

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.

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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 ...

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