Kinematics 2: Free Fall Lab (Physics)

Question:
What is the acceleration of a falling object as determine using:
  • a motion detector
  • video analysis
  • a picket fence falling through a photo gate (AP Physics)
How do the three methods of determining gravity compare in terms of their accuracy and precision?

Purpose:
To determine the acceleration of a falling object using three different methods and to compare the accuracy and precision of the results of each method.

Common Core Standards:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.3
    Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks, attending to special cases or exceptions defined in the text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.5
    Analyze the structure of the relationships among concepts in a text, including relationships among key terms (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy).
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.6
    Analyze the author's purpose in providing an explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.9-10.7
    Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation) into words.
Materials 
Required:
 
Picket Fence Free Fall Lab
File Size: 664 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Procedure
Devise a method to measure the acceleration due to gravity. 
We will be dropping our balls from the highest point in our room. Collect data using you assigned method.

Work together in your team to come up with a procedure that would affectively measure the acceleration of your dropped ball.
Your lab report will include the following
  • Title: on the front cover of your lab notebook and on the top of page 1
  • Purpose / Objective: states the purpose of the lab
  • Apparatus: list of materials used in the lab
  • Setup: a diagram of the setup
  • Procedure: the steps to recreate the lab
  • Data: clear and organized measurements made during the lab
  • Calculations: provide calculations in a neat and orderly outline form
  • Conclusion: completely answer the question using complete sentences
  • Discussion of Results: explanation of how the collected data provides support for the statement found in the conclusion; include an error analysis comparing your group's result to the class average
Your lab report will include the following
  • Title: on the front cover of your lab notebook and on the top of page 1
  • Purpose / Objective: states the purpose of the lab
  • Apparatus: list of materials used in the lab
  • Setup: a diagram of the setup
  • Procedure: the steps to recreate the lab
  • Data: clear and organized measurements made during the lab
  • Calculations: provide calculations in a neat and orderly outline form
  • Conclusion: completely answer the question using complete sentences
  • Discussion of Results: explanation of how the collected data provides support for the statement found in the conclusion; include an error analysis comparing your group's result to the class average

    Kinematics 2: Free Fall Lab Presentation (20 points)
    Max file size: 20MB