Vertical Motion

After marking the positions of the ball in each frame and pasting them into a spreadsheet,
delete the x values as they are not relevant to this investigation.
Translate the origin so that it is positioned at the location of the ball as it is released or the
location where the ball is caught. This should be the lowest y-value in your table.
Use the vertically positioned meter stick for scaling purposes.
A position-time plot should be parabolic and have an equation in which the coefficient of the
square term is approximately equal to one-half the gravitational acceleration value, g, which
is roughly -9.8 m/s/s. The square term coefficient should therefore be approximately -4.9.
You can manipulate the data in the spreadsheet in order to obtain velocity values. You should
notice that these values are positive as the ball rises and become negative as it falls.
A velocity-time plot should be linear with the best fit equation having a slope approximately
equal to the gravitational acceleration value, g, which is -9.8 m/s/s.
If the spreadsheet velocity values are manipulated to obtain acceleration values, they should
graph as a horizontal line with an equation of approximately y = g, or y = -9.8.
You may use the mass of the ball in order to determine changes in the balls gravitational
potential energy (PE = mgh) and kinetic energy (KE = 0.5 mv2) as it rises and falls. The total
energy, or sum of these two types of energy, should remain constant.