SPH3U: 

Physics, Grade 11, University Preparation

Unit 1: Kinematics

Acceleration Due to Gravity: Lab Report

Name: Alannah John Date: July 15th, 2022

Gravity causes objects to be accelerated towards the ground. To see evidence of this,
you need only push a pencil off the side of your desk. In this lab activity, you will use a
multi-media element to assist you in determining the rate at which gravity causes
objects to be pulled towards the. ground

Purpose: 
The purpose of this lab activity is to determine the rate of acceleration due to gravity.

Hypothesis: 
Predict the general shape of a position-time graph and a velocity-time graph that results
from an object falling due to gravity. Draw the predicted graph and explain why you
believe the graph will be the shape you have drawn. 

Graph 1 (position-time graph)

Graph Explanation
When the object falls from the initial
height to the ground, the position will
decrease as time passes, hence the
downwards curve. In the graph, I set 0 m
as the initial point and showed how the
position would be in comparison to time.
If I set the initial point to 5 m, then the
curve would be above the horizontal line,
but would still be a downwards curve.
The velocity from this will start from zero
and increase in the negative direction.
 Graph 2 (velocity-time graph)

Graph Explanation
When the object falls, the velocity will be
zero and increase in a negative direction
because the object goes downwards.
The line is below the horizontal because
the object is going in the negative
direction. I know acceleration is constant
and in the negative direction, therefore
the straight line in the graph.

Materials:
In addition to this sheet and the multi-media element, you will require a calculator and
graphing software (e.g. Desmos, or Excell)

Method:
The instructions for the activity are in the multi-media element itself. Be sure to record
all necessary results as you are working through the lab activity.

Results:
Ten heights were chosen from which to drop the ball. These values were spread out
over the full range available. You must use the data that was already given to you -
please see link in your Assignment tab for unit-1 Lab Report. Remember to write a
descriptive title and proper units in the table.

Table 1. Final Velocities for Objects Dropped with Time and Position

Height from which object was Time of fall Velocity with which object hits
dropped (Δt) the ground
-0.25 m 0.23 s -3.125 m/s
-0.75 m 0.39 s -4.545 m/s
-1.25 m 0.50 s -5 m/s
-1.50 m 0.55 s -5.769 m/s
-2.25 m 0.68 s -7.143 m/s
-2.75 m 0.75 s -8.334 m/s
-3.00 m 0.78 s -8.334 m/s
-3.75 m 0.87 s -8.334 m/s
-4.25 m 0.93 s -9.375 m/s
-5.00 m 1.01 s N/A

Analysis:
1. Use the data to plot a position-time graph. Draw a curve of best fit.
2. Complete the table above by calculating the final velocities for each height. Show
one sample calculation using GRASP (make sure to include units). 
Answers in table above.
3. Use the data to plot a velocity-time graph (remember to label your graph and axis
properly). Draw in the line-of-best-fit.
 4. Calculate the slope of the line (round off your answer to one decimal point). The
slope of the line is equal to the acceleration due to gravity.
Slope = (-3.125/0.23) + (-4.545/0.39) + (-5/0.50) + (-5.769/0.55) + (-7.143/0.68) +
(-8.334/0.75) + (-8.334/0.78) + (-8.334/0.87) + (-9.375/0.93) / 10 = -9.8 m/s^2 or
9.8 m/s^2 [downwards].
5. Compare your graphs to the ones you predicted.
The graphs I initially predicted are similar to the final graphs that were calculated.
There are a few errors but overall, the shapes are similar and are in the correct
quadrants.
6. You were asked to record the time needed for the ball to fall to the ground from
ten different heights. Why do you think it was necessary to do so many trials
instead of just doing it once and using that as the final value? 
The velocity of an object increases as it falls for a longer length of time due to
gravity's pull, therefore numerous trials are necessary rather than just one and
using that as the final value. If the data fluctuates as the distance changes, doing
simply one attempt would be insufficient. Using the average value can
considerably reduce the impact of errors on the experiment's findings.

Conclusion:
Write a brief summary of the results. Did you successfully accomplish the purpose of
the lab? Restate your hypothesis and compare it to your experimental results.

The goal of this lab was to calculate the rate of acceleration due to gravity, which was
accomplished by drawing graphs and performing calculations based on experimental
data. First, I predicted how a position-time graph and velocity-time graph would appear
if an item fell from a certain height. Both graphs were curved or linear in the negative
direction when the beginning location was set to 0 m. I then graphed the position-time
graph which matched my predicted graph. After that, I calculated the final velocities for
each value that resulted in negative velocities. I discovered that the velocity-time graph
matched my other expected graph after graphing it. The slope is equal to the
acceleration, so I calculated that which resulted in approximately 9.8 m/s^2. In
conclusion, the constant rate of acceleration is -9.8 m/s^2 or 9.8 m/s [downwards].