Calculating g
• Review: Freefall
• Lab: Calculating g
• Wrapping Up…
Free Fall:
Which Variable Affects Maximum Speed: Height
of Drop or Mass of Object?
Constant Velocity or Acceleration?
• A ball is dropped.
• It’s location is marked
every second.
• Is this falling object
accelerating?
Notes
• Free Fall: A situation where the only force
acting on an object and causing it to
accelerate is gravity.
• Acceleration due to gravity:
– On Earth the acceleration due to
gravity is 9.81m/s/s
Calculating g (gravity)
We can calculate g by using the
following formula:
x = the drop height
t = the time until impact
2x
g= 2
t
1. Record this data table in your
notebook:
Drop Height: ______meters
2. Calculate g (show your work)
Wrapping Up…
• A elephant and a mouse
are dropped from the
top of the Empire State
building at the same
time. Which one will
hit the ground first?
• Why?