Lab One – Galileo’s Dilemma

All things initially speed up when they fall, but as scientists we want to be able to
describe the way they speed up as clearly as possible. Do they get faster by a constant
amount each unit of time (like seconds), by a constant amount each unit of distance (like
meters) or is it more complicated than either of these?

Objective:
Your task in this lab is to collect, present and analyze data to determine what is
the most clear, straightforward and elegant relationship between the speed of a falling
object and either the time or the distance that it has fallen. This means determining
whether a more clear relationship exists between speed and time or between speed and
distance. It also means determining an equation for the relationship.

Lab Report Guidelines

Theory:
Make sure you explain important concepts that need to be understood to make
sense of the rest of the lab. Do this in paragraph form. It’s best if you explain the ideas
in a way that relates to how they’ll be used in the lab.
Make a list here of important ideas to discuss in your theory section.

Methods:
Describe how you collected your data with enough detail that others could follow
your description and get the same results. This means identifying and focusing the
critical points.
Use a labeled diagram. It’s easier and clearer.
Describe what you personally did in the past tense – not as a list of instructions
for what you should have done. Use “I” not “you”.

Data and Analysis:

Include graphs of speed vs. distance and speed vs. time. Give equations for lines
of best fit.

Conclusion:
Make sure that you do address the objective by stating whether speed depends
more directly on time fallen or distance fallen and as much as possible determine the
relationship from the line of best fit. Your conclusion should be based on your data and
class data, but does not have to be right. Logically explain how the data led you to your
final conclusion. When discussing your errors or the limitations don’t just write a list of
possibilities. Describe the ones that were actually likely to have affected your data and
what effect they would have had on your data.