E x p e r i m e n t No.

Uniformly Accelerated Motion – Free Fall

I. Objectives:
1. To investigate the displacement-time relation in the case of free
fall.
2. To determine experimentally the value of the acceleration due to
gravity “g” and to compare it with the accepted value.
3. To verify the independence of “g” from the mass of the body as
well as the height from where the body is released.

II. Apparatus, Instruments and Materials needed:

1. Two steel balls(big and small)
2. Stop watch
3. Meter stick
4. Improvised free fall apparatus

III. Drawing:
IV. Discussion:
Bodies in motion seldom travel with uniform speed in a straight
line. In any other type of motion, there is a change in velocity, that is,
there is acceleration. Many accelerated motions are quite complicated
but a few can be analyzed by simple methods. One of these is uniformly
accelerated linear motion. An example of these is the motion of free
falling object.
The average speed (v) of a body is the quotient of the distance
which it traverses and the time (t) required to travel that distance (s).
That is:
v = s/t eq. (1)
The instantaneous speed (v) of an object is the limit of the
distance-time ratio, as the time decreases.
When the velocity of the body varies, its motion is said to be
accelerated. Acceleration is defined as the time rate of change of
velocity. In symbols:
a = v2-v1 eq. (2)
t

Where a represents the average acceleration of a body that changes

its velocity from v1 to v2 in time t. Units of acceleration are obtained by
dividing a unit of velocity by a unit of time; thus, the cgs unit is the
centimeter per second per second and the fps unit is foot per second per
second.
If a body moves in a straight line, making equal changes of speed
in equal intervals of time, its acceleration is constant and it is said to be
moving with uniformly accelerated motion. This is the type of motion
produced when a constant net force, parallel to the direction of motion
acts upon the body.
 In this type of motion, the constant acceleration “g” is called the
acceleration due to gravity. The standard value for “g” is
approximately 9.8m/sec2, 980cm/sec2 or 32ft/sec2.
The relationships between speed, distance, time and acceleration in
uniformly accelerated motion are readily reduced from the definitions of
acceleration and average speed. From eq. (2),

v2 = v1 + at eq. (3)

This equation expresses the dependence of the final speed v2 upon

time t in terms of initial speed v1 and acceleration a.
For uniformly accelerated motion, the average speed is the
arithmetic mean of the initial and final speeds. Note that this statement
holds true only because the acceleration is uniform.
For any other type of acceleration, the arithmetic mean of the
speeds does not give the average value. Thus, for uniformly accelerated
motion, eq. (1) gives:

S = vt = (v2+v1)(t) eq. (4)

2

When the value of v2 from eq. (3) is substituted to eq. (4), we will
obtain:

S = v1t +1/2 at2 eq. (5)

V. Procedure:
A. Release the small steel ball from a given distance s and take note
of the time of fall t. Repeat the procedure two times and get the average
value of t. Do the same procedure for the bigger ball. Vary the distance
and take note of the average time of fall for each distance and get the
square of time.
With distance s as the ordinate and the square of time t2 as the
abscissa, plot the values on a graphing paper. Draw the graph and take
note of the shape of the curve. What is the significance of the slope of
the curve? How does t2 vary with s?
Using this equation S = ½ gt2 compute the value of ‘g’and compare
the result with the accepted value by solving for the percentage error.

B. Solve for the value of “g” graphically using the time-velocity

graph. Prepare a time-velocity graph. The slope of the time-velocity
graph is equal to the value of the acceleration due to gravity “g”.
v = gt

Compare the calculated value of the acceleration due to gravity “g”

with the accepted value and determine the percentage error.
Experiment No. 6 (Uniform Accelerated Motion- Free Fall)
Rating: ___________
Name: ________________________________Group No. __________
Course/Year and Section: ____________________

VI. Data and Results:

VII. Computations:
VIII. Exercise Problems:

1. Ball A is dropped from a roof at the same time as ball B is thrown

horizontally from the roof. Which ball has a smaller velocity when it reaches
the ground?

2. A stone dropped from the bridge strikes the water 2.5 sec. later. (a) What is
its initial velocity in meters/sec? (b) How high is the bridge?

3. A ball is drop from a window 64 ft. above the ground. (a) How long does it
take the ball to reach the ground? (b) What is its final velocity?

4. A ball is thrown downward from the edge of a cliff with an initial velocity of
6 m/s. (a) How fast is it moving 2 sec later? (b) How far does it fall in 2 sec?