Activity 3.

Free falling body: Determination of acceleration due to gravity

Date:___________________________ Name of group members:_____________________

If an object dropped from a certain height from rest (v
0
= 0), the succeeding position of
the object is determined from the equation
()

From this relation, the acceleration due to gravity (g) can be obtained as

In this experiment, you are going to determine the acceleration due to gravity (g) at
certain levels above ground, in this case the three different floors of the science building and
compare your results to expected acceleration due to gravity at the different floors of the
building.

Materials:
Digital meter (photogate), meter stick, spherical ball, iron stand with 2 clamps

Procedure:
A. Measuring the height of each floor from the ground
1. Measure the height of the three floors of the Science Building using a steel rule or a
method you can device.
2. Record the height in Table 3.A.

B. Determination of acceleration due to gravity (g)
1. Set up the iron stand with the two clamps positioned at the 10 cm mark and the 20
cm mark of the meter stick.
2. Attached the two photo gates on each of the clamps positioned
3. Turn on the digital timer and calibrate it. (See the operations manual)
4. Position the sphere just above the first photo gate and when ready release it.
5. After the sphere passes the second photo gate, let the timer finish its recording.
6. Now, press the review button of the digital timer to view the time for the sphere to
pass from the first and second photo gate.
7. Record your data in Table 3.A
Free falling body: Determination of acceleration due to gravity
8. Change the position of the second photo gate to the 30 cm and repeat the steps B4
through B7.
9. Do the same for the position at 40 cm, 50 cm, 60 cm, 70 cm, 80 cm, and 90
cm mark.
10. Record your data in Table 3.A
11. Graph displacement (y) vs. time (t)
12. Graph also displacement (y) vs. time
2
.
13. Determine the acceleration due to gravity (g) from the slope of the graph in step
B12.
14. Record your data in Table 3.A

Data
Table 3.A. Determination of the acceleration due to gravity
Distance (y)
(cm)
First floor (height = m) Second floor (height = m) Third floor (height = m)

Time (sec) Time
2
(sec
2
) Time (sec)
Time
2

(sec
2
)
Time (sec)
Time
2

(sec
2
)
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
g = m/s
2
g = m/s
2
g = m/s
2


Questions:
1. Calculate the expected acceleration due to gravity (g) for each floor using the
formula

( )

Where G = universal gravitational constant; m
E
= mass of the earth; R = radius of the
earth; and h = height of each floor from the ground. (Note: Use Excel to calculate
this expected value of g to have a better number of decimal places for comparison
from your results). Compare these expected values of g with your experimental
results.
Free falling body: Determination of acceleration due to gravity

First floor g = _________________________
Second Floor g =_______________________
Third floor g = _________________________

2. From your computed difference between the gs, what factor/s contributed to these
effect?



3. Infer why we can approximate the value of g = 9.80 m/s
2
at certain height above
grounds? How far above ground you can estimate such that you approximate the
value of g?





4. How long does an object of mass 10 kg dropped at a height of 1000 km above
ground to reach the ground? Can we use g = 9.8 m/s
2
? Why or why not?





Conclusion: