Motion in 1D: Free falling objects

(historical overview)

…Inanimate objects can experience 2 types

of motion: natural and unnatural.
Natural: objects seek their natural place in the
universe such as a stone falling on the
ground.
Unnatural: when objects are forced to move
by applying an external force. In this case the
speed of motion is proportional to the
applied force.
Aristotle 384-322 BC
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle
…Objects of different
weight fall on the ground
at different rates
associates motion with the proportional to the
properties of an object weight…
 Motion in 1D: Free falling objects
(historical overview)

All objects fall toward the

ground with constant
acceleration…
…the distance a body travels
as it falls is proportional to
the square of the time.

Galileo 1564 -1642

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo
 Free fall: historical facts

Galileo performed a legendary

experiment , perhaps the first
recorded experiment in history.
When he dropped two objects
of different mass and showed
that they hit the ground at the
same time.
The experiment was recreated
by astronauts hundreds of
years later with the same result!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/pisa/galileo.html
Free fall: historical facts

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6926891572259784994
 Conceptual question: 1D kinematics
A person standing at the edge of a cliff throws one ball
straight up and another ball straight down with the same
initial speed. Neglecting air resistance, the ball which
hits the ground with the greater speed is the one initially
thrown:

a) upward
b) downward
c) neither – they both hit at the same speed

Hint: remember that the ball falls back to its initial height with same
speed, different direction!
 Free fall: problem solving
g 
A boy throws a ball up in the Given: 0
air from a height of 1.5m. • h = 1.5 m “zero level”

The ball lands after 4s. •T=4s x0 , t 0

Q. What was the initial velocity Find: h
of the ball?
0  ? x1 , t1
x0  0 t0  0 0  0
   0  at (1)
x1   h t1  t 0  T g0
1 2 1 2
x  x0   0 t  at (2) x1  x0   0 t1  at1
2 2
1
  0
2 2
 h  0   0T  gT 2
x  x0  (3) 2
2a 1 h
 0  gT 
0   2 T
x  x0  t (4) 1 m
 0  9.8 2 4 s 
1.5 m
 19.2
m
2 2 s 4s s
 Free fall: problem solving g “zero level”
A chestnut falls off a tree. It takes Given: A
0.4 s for it to fall past a window. • h1 = 2 m 0
The window is 2 m high and its • h2 = 10 m
h1
B
base is 10 m above the ground. • T = 0.4 s
Q. What is the velocity of the 1
Find:
chestnut when it hits the ground? f ? h2
C
1 2
h1   0T  gT  1   0  gT
1 2 2
   0  at x  x0   0 t  at 1
2 h1   1  gT  T  gT 2
2
 2   02   1
x  x0  x  x0  0 t h1  1T  gT 2
2a 2 2
h 1
A B C 1  1  gT  2  1 9.8  0.4  6.96 m
T 2 0.4 2 s
x 0  0 x  h1 x  h1  h 2
 2f  12
t0  0 t  T t  t 2 g0 h2   2f   12  2 gh2
2g m
 0  0   1    f  f  15.63