Grey 1

Gavin Grey
Period 6
8/29/13
Free Fall Lab
Hypothesis and Procedure:
The hypothesis for this lab is that objects that are in free fall maintain a constant
acceleration. To test this hypothesis, tools were gathered to take measurements of a falling
object. The tools that were used were a Vernier Motion Detector, a tennis ball, and Logger Pro. In
order to measure the velocity and time that it takes a tennis ball to fall to the ground, we held the
motion detector over the edge of the table and held the tennis ball in the air under the motion
detector. Then, we pressed start on Logger Pro to start recording data and dropped the ball, so
that the velocity of the ball was shown on Logger Pro. This was done 4 different times, and the
data was recorded into the tables below.

Data Tables:
Trial 1

Trial 2

Time
0.7
0.75
0.8
0.85

Position
Velocity
0.161888
0.412711
0.188032
1.03592
Time
Position
0.258908
1.803024
0.192377
0.374052 0.95
2.456522
1
0.292997
1.05
0.434018

Trial 3

Velocity
1.33889389
2.24888111
2.76053111

Trial 4

Time
0.8
0.85
0.9
0.95

Position
0.16171
0.226974
Time
0.346488
0.47724

Velocity
0.79417611
1.726155
Position
2.45627111
0.9
0.221259
2.90835444
0.95
0.323727
1
0.474912

Velocity
1.5552319
2.439685
2.92530333

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Data Analysis:
To analyze this data, V-T graphs were made to compare the Velocity to the Time, to see if
acceleration was a constant in this. These are the graphs:
Trial 1 V-T graph

Trial 2 V-T Graph

3
2

f(x) = 12.09x - 7.99

R = 0.98

Velocity (m /s) 1

Linear ()

Velocity (m /s) 1

Linear ()

0
0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95

0
0.94 0.96 0.98 1 1.02 1.04 1.06

Tim e (s)

Tim e (s)

Trial 4 V-T Graph

Trial 3 V-T Graph

4
Velocity (m /s)

f(x) = 14.22x - 12.1

R = 0.97

2
0
0.75

f(x) = 14.15x - 10.41

Linear ()
R = 0.98
0.8

0.85

0.9

Tim e (s)

0.95

Velocity (m /s)
1

f(x) = 13.7x - 10.71

R =Linear
0.97 ()

2
0
0.85

0.9

0.95

1.05

Tim e (s)

As you can see, the graphs all end up being about a straight line. This means that the
Velocity and Time increase at almost the same rate. Using the point-slope forumla, we can tell
that the slope of these lines is rise/run. In this case, rise/run is equal to m/s / s, which is equal to
m/s, or acceleration. So slope is equal to acceleration. If the average acceleration of the graphs is
calculated, we get about 13.539 m/s, and if the average acceleratrion of the entire class is
calculated, we get about 10.7 m/s.
Discussion:
Our results support the original hypothesis in that the acceleration of a free falling object
is constant, not changing. We can tell this because the lines created on the V-T graphs were
almost completely stright lines; the measurements were only slightly off the linear regression
line. Also, we can tell that the acceleration was directed upwards, because the graphs increase as
time increases with a positive slope.
Although our measurements suggested that the hyposthesis is correct, there was quite a
bit of error in our measurements. When the comparing to the accepted value and calculating the
percent error, we get about 38% error. Our measurements also all were greater than the accepted
value, 9.81m/s. This error could have been caused by the motion detectors not being completely

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accurate, as well as the fact that when the ball is dropped from under the motion detector, it
might not fall down in a completely straight line, and may have some extra acceleration
depending on how it was released.