2.05 Free Fall Motion Virtual Lab Submit

Part I: Virtual Lab Option (see Lesson 2.
05 for details on Manual Option)
Remember, d =vot + 1/2at2 is the equation for the distance an accelerating object
travel. How could you simplify that equation if you are starting from rest?
The simulator that you will use to design your experiment is used for projectile
motion. We are only concerned with being able to drop an object in a way that will
allow you to obtain accurate data.
Materials: Projectiles simulation virtual lab. Lab will open in a new window.
PHET projectile motion simulator
Procedure:
1. Run the simulation and select the Intro tab. You will see several controls that
are not important for this activity. Beneath the cannon, you will see a slider
for initial speed. Please slide that down to 0 m/s. Select the cannon and drag
it upwards. You will be selecting three different heights to drop the object
from.
2. Drag the cannon up to the first elevation that you would like to use. Record
that height on your lab worksheet. Press the red "fire" button at the bottom.
A line of dots appear below the cannon as your object falls to the ground.
3. Across the top of the simulator, there are measuring devices. Select the
Time/Range/Height device on the left. Drag it down to the very bottom dot
where the object you dropped hit the ground. The center of the cross should
be over the point to get a reading.
4. Record the time from the measuring tool on your lab worksheet. Repeat this
process two more times at different heights of at least 10 meters.
5. Using the data, determine the acceleration due to gravitational force. Be sure
to show your work for all calculations.
6. What to submit:
a. Your data collected, clearly organized.
Distance (meters) Time (seconds) Acceleration due to

Gravity (m/s2)
(show your work in part b, below)
Trial 1 5m 1.01s 9.8m/s2
Trial 2 10m 1.43s 9.8m/s2

Trial 3 15m 1.75s 9.8m/s2
b. Your calculations for acceleration due to gravitational force (Hint:

Remember, d =vot + 1/2at2 is the equation for the distance an
accelerating object travel. How could you simplify that equation if you
are starting from rest?). Make sure to show your work below.
d=1/2at2
a=2d/t2
a=2(5m)/(1.01s)^2 a=2(10m)/(1.43s)^2 a=2(15m)/(1.75)^2
a=10m/1.0201s^2 a=20m/2.0449s^2 a=30m/3.0625s^2
a=9.8m/s^2 a=9.8m/s^2 a=9.8m/s^2
Part II:
Trial 1:
1. Get a book and put a sheet of paper on top of it. Fold the paper as needed to
keep the paper from sticking over the edge of the book.
2. Hold the textbook with the paper on top, horizontally about waist high.
3. Drop the book and paper so that they hit the floor flat.
4. Record your observations.
The paper stayed on top of the book. It only moved a little bit diagonally.
Trial 2:
1. Take the same book in one hand and the paper in the other.
2. Hold the book and paper at the same height.
3. Drop the book and paper simultaneously.
The book fell to the floor a lot faster than the paper did. The paper fell on top of the book.
Before you begin Trial 3, think about your observations from trials 1 and 2. What did
you observe to occur differently between the two? Write a paragraph (complete
sentences) explaining the difference between Trial 1 and Trial 2 observations.
In trial one, the paper and the book fell at the same time regardless of the difference on
their masses, while on the second trial, the paper fell a lot slower than the book.
Trial 3:
1. Form a hypothesis of what you think would happen differently if you took the flat
piece of paper and the book that you used before and compared each to another
piece of paper that is crumpled up tightly into a ball? Record that hypothesis
on your worksheet.
If I crumpled up tightly a paper into a ball, the paper would stay crumpled into the ball
when I drop it to the floor. The flat paper will fall slower than the ball, and the ball will fall
slower than the book.
2. Test your hypotheses by dropping the flat sheet and the crumpled sheet at the
same time.
3. Now, drop the book and the crumbled paper.
When I dropped the flat sheet and the crumpled sheet at the same time, the crumpled
sheet fell a lot faster than the flat sheet. When I dropped the book and the crumpled
sheet, they fell almost at the same time. It was difficult to tell which one touched the floor
first.
Write a paragraph (complete sentences) analyzing your observations for all three trials.
Did your observations (data) support or not support your hypotheses?
The paper and the book fell at the same time when the paper was on top of the book.
This happened because the air resistance was less in that case than when the paper
and the book were dropped at the same time, but separate. In that case, the paper fell a
lot slower than the book. This happened because the mass of the book is greater than
that of the paper. In trial three, my hypothesis was partially wrong. The flat paper,
indeed, fell slower than the crumpled paper, because it has less surface area than the
first one. But, on the other hand, the crumpled paper and the book fell to the floor at the
same time when dropped, again, at the same time.

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Part I: Virtual Lab Option (see Lesson 2.

05 for details on Manual Option)

PHET projectile motion simulator

Distance (meters) Time (seconds) Acceleration due to

Trial 1 5m 1.01s 9.8m/s2

Trial 2 10m 1.43s 9.8m/s2

b. Your calculations for acceleration due to gravitational force (Hint:

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