Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences

Physics
[NS102]

LAB REPORT

Title of Experiment: Free Fall Fence

Student:

Lab Assistant:

Fall 2021
Introduction

In the Free Fall experiment, students were supposed to drop a picket fence through a
Photogate device, in order to try and determine acceleration due to gravity. After
testing in DataStudio, they were supposed to compare the values they got with the
theoretical value of g. Each black stripe on the ‘Picket Fence’ activates Photogate beam
and the time from one blockage to the next becomes shorter. DataStudio program then
calculates the average speed of the Picket Fence from one band to the next.
Neglecting air resistance, an object falls a distance proportional to the square of the
time. (d ∝t 2)

Equipment and setup

Free Fall Experiment

1. 1 PASCO Interface (for one sensor)
2. 1 Photogate/Pulley System
3. 1 Picket Fence
4. 1 Universal Table Clamp

The setup goes as following:

1. Set up the PASCO Interface and computer and start DataStudio. Connect the Photogate
to the interface.
2. Mount the Photogate on the Pulley Mounting Rod.
3. Turn the Photogate sideways so that you can drop a Picket Fence vertically and have it
move through the Photogate’s opening without hitting the Photogate.

Setup:
1. Start DataStudio after setting up the PASCO Interface and computer. Connect the interface

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to the Photogate.
2. Run the DataStudio program: Free Fall Fence.ds is a collection of 12 free fall fence.ds files.
There is a Graph display of Position versus Time and Velocity versus Time in the DataStudio
file.
3. For the opaque bands on the Picket Fence, the program assumes a leading-edge-to-leading-
edge spacing of 5 centimeters (0.05 m). To change the default setting, open the Sensor Setup
window by double-clicking on the Photogate & Picket Fence icon in the Experiment Setup
window. Fill in the correct value for the opaque band spacing on your Picket Fence. To return
to the Experiment Setup window, click OK.
4. Assemble the tools as shown. The Photogate should be mounted on the Pulley Mounting
Rod. Turn the Photogate head sideways so that you can drop a Picket Fence vertically from
above and have it move through the Photogate's opening without hitting it.

Procedure

Procedure goes as following:

1. Students were split into pairs, one operating the computer, and the other one
handling the picket fence.
2. Hold the Picket Fence so its bottom edge is just above the Photogate beam.
3. Click ‘Start’ and then drop the Picket Fence through the Photogate beam.
4. After the Picket Fence passes completely through the beam, stop recording.

Results & Analysis

The linear line is seen to translate in the positive v direction as the Picket Fence is released
from higher positions above the photogate. The y intercept shifts around (indicating an
increase in theinitial speed of the photogate). However, the object's acceleration, as measured
by the slope of the velocity vs. time graph, remains constant.

Questions:
1. How does the slope of your velocity versus time graphcompare to the accepted value of
the acceleration of afree falling object (g = 9.8 m/s2)?

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In this case, the slope is the same as the accepted value for a free-falling object's
acceleration due to gravity.

2. What factors do you think may cause the experimental value to be different from
theaccepted value?
The answers will differ. The results may differ from the accepted value if the Picket Fence is
tilted when it falls.

Conclusion(s)

Artificial value of gravitational acceleration g can be received as a result from experimenting,

but it will most probably differ from the accepted value of 9.81 because of various
environmental factors.