FREE FALL ACTIVITY

Objectives:

Determine the initial velocity of a ball thrown upward; Record the time for the ball to reach the ground; Record the
time for ball to reach its maximum height; and Calculate the maximum height reached by the ball thrown vertically
upward.

Materials Needed:

Stopwatch

ball(e.g. tennis ball, sepaktakraw, etc.)

Procedure:

1. Throw the ball vertically upward in the air as hard as you can in an open space.

2. Using your stopwatch, ask your classmate to record the total time the ball remains in the air. Get the time of the ball
from point of release to its maximum height by the dividing the total time into two. Record your data.

TABLE 3. Data on the Total Time and Time of the Ball in the Air

TRIAL TOTAL TIME, (s) TIME, t(s)

1

Average

Q1. What do you think happens to the speed of the ball as it reaches its maximum height? 3. Calculate the initial
velocity of the ball using the formula vi =vf -+agt.Use - 9.8m/s2 for ag.

4. Solve for the maximum height reached by the ball using h=vit + ½ agt2. Use -9.8m/s2for ag.

TABLE 4. Data on the Velocity of the Ball and Height of the Building

TRIAL VELOCITY, v (m/s) HEIGHT, h (m)

1

Average

Q2. What will happen to the ball’s velocity as it falls further below the point of release?

Study the following sample problems.

Sample Problem 1:

Trial Total Time, (s) Time, t (s) 1 2 3 Average

Trial Velocity, v(s) Height, h (m) 1 2 3 Average

DRAFT March 31, 2014

14

Zed is playing with a ball on top of a building but the ball fell and hits the ground after 2.6 seconds, what is the final
velocity of the ball just before it hits the ground and how high is the building? Given: ag = -9.8 m/s2 assume vi = 0 m/s t
= 2.6 s Find: vf = ? h= ? vf = vi + agt

vf = 0 + (-9.8 m/s2)(2.6 s)

vf = -26 m/s

d = vit + ½ agt2 h = -d = -[ (0 m/s)(2.6 s)+ ½ (-9.8 m/s2)(2.6 s)2]

h = 33 m

Sample Problem 2:

The Philippine tarsier is capable of jumping to a height of 1.5 m in hunting for food. Determine the takeoff speed of the
tarsier. Given: a = -9.8 m/s2 h = 1.5 m Find: vi = ? At the highest point, velocity of the tarsier is zero. vf2 = vi2 + 2ah (0
m/s)2 = vi2 + 2(-9.8 m/s2)(1.5m)

0 m2/s2 = vi2 – 29.4 m2/s2

29.4 m2/s2 = vi2

vi = 5.4 m/s

DRAFT March 31, 2014

15

Try solving this… The acceleration of gravity on the moon is 1.62 m/s2. If a ball is dropped on the moon from a height of
1.50 m. Determine the time for the ball to fall to the surface of the moon.

In solving problems on Uniformly Accelerated Motion refer to Table 5.

TABLE 5. Summary Of Uniformly Accelerated Motion (UAM) Formulae

Uniformly Accelerated Motion Formulae

vf = at + vi

𝑑 = 𝑣𝑖𝑡 +

𝑎𝑡2 2

𝑑=(

𝑣𝑓 + 𝑣𝑖 2

) 𝑡 vf2 = vi2 + 2ad

Free-fall is an example of uniformly accelerated motion, with its acceleration be