PHY 2091 05
Lab 3: Acceleration Due to Gravity
Jonathan Feliz
31 January 2024
7 February 2024
Alex Lacy, Uma Ferberlagun, Gabriel Rozovmartin
Scott Demarest
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Introduction
The purpose of this lab was to solve for the acceleration due to gravity by measuring the
distance between marks on a ticker tape as well as measure the acceleration due to gravity by
dropping a striped picket fence through a sensor, thus allowing it to read the acceleration and
velocity of each block. The calculated acceleration will be compared to the given value of 9.792
Data & Analysis
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Discussion
Slope (Ticker Tape)
Calculated G (Fence)
9.19 (m/s)
9.75 (m/s^2)
All matter is affected by the universal gravitational constant and thus is susceptible to
some form of acceleration due to gravity when in some sort of close proximity to another mass.
This is denoted by the equation GM/r. Near the surface of Earth, this acceleration is found to be
9.81 m/s^2.
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Sources of error include a systematic intrinsic error in which the angle at which the tape
was held above the ticker would dictate whether or not there was an active force of friction.
Regardless of whether or not that force remained constant, the fact remains that the acceleration
would be affected. Only one trial of this component of the experiment was taken, thus dictating
that this trial was most heavily affected.
Similarly, there is a systematic error in measurement for the picket fence component as
the picket fence must only be accelerating downward. In any given instance that the picket fence
gains a curvilinear velocity or acceleration, the distance between stripes that the Logger Pro must
measure increases, thus causing it to misread the acceleration.
The slope of the graph in Part 1 represents the acceleration due to gravity. When
compared to the given acceleration due to gravity value, there is found to be about a 6%
difference. In addition, there is a jerk modeled in the graph since the acceleration does not
remain constant. This makes the graph imprecise.
The contrast between the results of the first and the second components of the experiment
illuminates that the picket fence is the most precise and accurate of the two. The percent
difference of each individual trial is at most 1%, which is labeled a success.
Conclusion
This experiment was conducted in order to calculate the acceleration due to gravity
through the use of ticker tape to measure displacement over time and through the use of a striped
picket fence which was used to record the acceleration due to gravity in a computerized system.
The second part of the experiment was a success, however the first was a failure by a slight
margin. The calculated acceleration due to gravity of the first component was 9.19m/s^2, while
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the actual acceleration due to gravity is 9.792 m/s^2. The second component of the experiment,
however, was a success. The average accelerations were found to be 9.75m/s^2, 9.7366m/s^2,
and 9.68m/s^2 for each trial, respectively. All group members contributed greatly to the success
and efficiency of this experiment.
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