Free Fall Laboratory Experiment
Problem/Question - Will two spheres with different masses fall towards earth at the same rate?
Hypothesis - Generate your own hypothesis for this experiment (2 points)
Materials - Balance
- Marble
- Tennis ball
- Roof of E2 building
- Lacrosse Ball
- Stopwatch
Procedure (Drop 1) 1. Measure the mass of all spheres and record in the data table.
2. Students will stand at the base of the E2 building and the teacher will be on the roof with the balls of
different masses.
3. Using a stopwatch, time the moment the ball leaves the teacher’s hand to the moment it hits the ground
on first contact.
4. Record the data in the class data table.
a. Record the time in the first column for each ball.
5. Calculate the height of the E2 building (hint: this may be used for further problems)
6. Complete the data analysis and conclusion.
7. Complete the calculations for the second and third type of throws.
Data – create a data table for all the necessary data (12 points)
Data Analysis 1) Use the equation: a = 2d/t2 to calculate the acceleration of each ball. Show work. (3 points)
2) Use the equation below to calculate the percent error between the measured and accepted values for the
acceleration due to gravity for each drop. Use 9.8 m/s2 as the accepted value. Show work. (3 points)
% error = measured value - accepted value
accepted value x 100
3) Calculate the average acceleration for each type of ball and enter results in the data table. (4 points)
Conclusion - Provide a conclusion that includes a description of the relationship between acceleration from
gravity and mass. (4 points)
EXTENSION:
1. Free fall without an initial velocity of zero (Drop 2) - throw the ball downwards at the ground. Calculate
the initial and final velocities of the ball. Show your work & equations used. (6 points)
2. Upward motion (Drop 3) - throw the ball up in the air before it falls to the ground below. Calculate the
ball’s initial and final velocities. Show your work & equation used. (6 points)