University of South Alabama Acceleration Due to Gravity Lab Report

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University of South Alabama

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This is for my physics lab and I need help with the discussion questions below I have screenshots of the instructions below

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11:48 Back Lab2.doc Experiment 2 Acceleration Due to Gravity 2.1 Introduction “Why does a ripe fruit fall from its tree to the ground?” - Isaac Newton reportedly wondered about this phenomenon. Thanks to him and other great minds that followed, we now know why it's because of the force called gravity that acts between any two objects. Gravity is an attractive force, which is why in Newton's model, the apple falls towards the Earth as opposed to flying off into the cosmos. The rate that the apple (or any falling object) accelerates is a constant value for any location on Earth. This is the acceleration due to gravity, g. In this experiment, you will determine the value for the acceleration due to gravity for Mobile, Alabama, and compare it to the accepted local value. 2.2 Theory Consider Newton's 2nd Law: the force that acts on each object results in an acceleration of that object – in other words, F = m x a. For the case of an object experiencing free-fall, the value of this acceleration is due to the gravitational force between the Earth and the object. The gravitational force between the Earth and the object is given by: F-G M.m d? where G is called the universal gravitational constant and has value of 6.67 x 10-11 Nm²/kg?, M is Earth’s mass, m is object's mass and d is distance between their centers. The numerical value for the acceleration due to gravity is nearly constant everywhere on the Earth, no matter whether the object in motion is a falling apple, a person skydiving, or a baseball flying over the center-field wall. Suppose we have an object that is initially at rest and then dropped from a height, h, just above the surface of the Earth. If air resistance is negligible, the time it takes for the object to fall to the ground (t) is related to the height it was dropped from (h) by the acceleration due to gravity (g) as: = Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 11:48 < Back Lab2.doc air resistance is negligible, the time it takes for the object to fall to the ground (t) is related to the height it was dropped from (h) by the acceleration due to gravity (g) as: h- Experimentally, it is much easier to measure the height that an object is dropped from and the time it takes to fall to the Earth, and use these values to mathematically determine our own value for 'g': 2h Note that this determination does not depend on the mass of the object at all! In this exercise, you will drop an object from several different heights, record the time of free-fall, and determine your own value for the acceleration due to gravity. 2.3 Equipment • Free-Fall Apparatus · Stand with Clamps • Meter Stick • Computer 2.4 Experimental Procedure 2.4.1 Data Acquisition The apparatus for this experiment consists of a ball-release mechanism, steel ball, electronic timer and target pad, set up as shown in Figure 2-1. Bal Release Mechanism TIMER Target Pad := Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 11:48 < Back Lab2.doc TIMER Target Pad Figure 2-1: Free-Fall Apparatus • Place the steel ball in the launcher by holding the trigger release and turn the timer on. • Make sure that the ball is held by the launcher jaws. On making contact the display on the timer will go blank. • Place the target pad below the position of the steel ball, so that when the ball drops, it will strike the pad squarely. • Measure the height (in meters) from the bottom of the ball to the top of the target pad and record this value in the spreadsheet, h. • To release the ball and begin timing, press release trigger with a quick motion. · Record the time (in seconds) taken for the fall - enter this value into the spreadsheet, t. • Repeat this procedure two more times. The spreadsheet will determine the average of the height measurements and the average of the time measurements. These values will be used to calculate the acceleration due to gravity (g) for each height. . Change the height of the release and repeat the above procedure for two additional heights. Once you are finished, you should have completed a total of nine (9) trials - three experimental runs each for three different heights. Each set of trials will be used to obtain a value for g. *** Please be sure to turn off the timer at the end of the experiment. *** 2.4.2 Data Analysis The spreadsheet will determine the average value for your experimental g. How does your value compare (greater, lesser, or the same) with the accepted value at the University of South Alabama: g = 9.793394 m/s?? What is the percent difference between your experimental value and the accepted local value? In general, a 10% difference in values (or less) is considered a 'good' estimate of the actual value. If your value is much larger than 10%, please check your entries into the spreadsheet or, time permitting, repeat the experiment. 2.5 Discussion Questions = Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox 11:48 < Back Lab2.doc • 10 release the ball and begin timing, press release trigger with a quick motion. • Record the time in seconds) taken for the fall – enter this value into the spreadsheet, t. • Repeat this procedure two more times. The spreadsheet will determine the average of the height measurements and the average of the time measurements. These values will be used to calculate the acceleration due to gravity (g) for each height. Change the height of the release and repeat the above procedure for two additional heights. Once you are finished, you should have completed a total of nine (9) trials - three experimental runs each for three different heights. Each set of trials will be used to obtain a value for g. *** Please be sure to turn off the timer at the end of the experiment. *** 2.4.2 Data Analysis The spreadsheet will determine the average value for your experimental g. How does your value compare (greater, lesser, or the same) with the accepted value at the University of South Alabama: g = 9.793394 m/s?? What is the percent difference between your experimental value and the accepted local value? In general, a 10% difference in values (or less) is considered a 'good' estimate of the actual value. If your value is much larger than 10%, please check your entries into the spreadsheet or, time permitting, repeat the experiment. 2.5 Discussion Questions 1. Is there an influence of air drag on your final results of measured g? Explain your reasoning. 2. If we were to repeat the same experiment with two balls of the same size but different masses, which ball will experience greater g? Justify your answer. 3. Suppose you performed the same experiment in a lab that is located 2000 miles above the Earth's surface. Would you expect to get the same, less or greater result for g? Explain your reasoning : Dashboard Calendar To Do Notifications Inbox
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Acceleration Due to Gravity Lab
Discussion Questions
1. Influence of air drag on final results of measured g? Explanation
Yes, it tends to reduce the magnitude of measured g. This is because the air drag
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