Design an experiment to measure the value of g (acceleration due to gravity) by using a soccer ball?

Question

Other materials of your own are required and all apparatus used should be available in school science laboratories. The experiment must be feasible

Answer 1

Equipment Needed
1) Soccer ball
2) Stopwatch
3) Metre Rule
3) Eyeballs
4) Hands

Procedure
1) Hold the soccer ball in one hand (1 metre above the ground) and the stopwatch in the other.
2) Just as you drop the soccer ball, start the stopwatch.
3) When the soccer ball hits the ground, stop your stopwatch.
4) Repeat steps 1-3 9 more times, recording your timing for each repeat.
5) Obtain the average time taken for the ball to reach the ground.
6) Using the formula s=ut+0.5at^2 (s=displacement=1, u=initial velocity=0, t=time=average time recorded, a=acceleration=acceleration due to gravity), find a.

Assumptions
1) No air resistance
2) Ball fell horizontally
3) No human response time (minimal effect)

Answer 2

Push Soccer Ball across level surface by means of a hair dryer, letting air out of balloon, etc.

Push Ping Pong Ball the same way.
____________________________________________________

Newton's 2nd Law,

F = ma

summarizes the effect of applying a force upon an object. F is the force applied, m is the mass of the object, and a is the acceleration.

In the first part of the demonstration, the blow dryer provides the force on the balls. An equal force is applied to both balls; therefore any difference in acceleration will be due to a difference in mass. The golf ball is more massive and accelerates more slowly than the ping pong ball. (This illustrates that mass may be measured without using gravity.)

Dropping the balls from equal heights is a reproduction of Galileo's experiment. Neglecting air friction, the two balls strike the floor at the same time. The accelerations are equal for the two dropped balls. Since the force on a ball is directly proportional to its mass, each ball experiences a different force; that is, a different weight.

w = mg = GmM/R2; and

g = GM/R2 = acceleration due to gravity

In these equations: w = weight; g = acceleration due to gravity; G = universal gravitational constant; m = mass of object; M = mass of earth; and R = the distance between the centers of mass of the object and the earth, the radius of the earth for objects at the surface.

Answer 3

Think ramp, stopwatches and triplines.
Acceleration along an inclined ramp is less, but proportional to, acceleration in a straight line (falling). Set up the ramp (you will need side rails to keep the ball on the ramp) at a 45 degree angle for ease of calculation. Set up trip lines across the ramp attached to the watches. Set the ball rolling, and as it runs down the ramp, it will turn on the watches. The difference in the times on the watches will give you the timing of the run (which will get closer together towards the bottom of the run) showing the acceleration.
You can make the slope less steep or the run longer for a more accurate reading.
Cheers.

Answer 4

Not bad, Grendle. Not bad at all. I was going to suggest ostrich feathers, guacamole, C4, and Gerbils. But I think your idea might be a little easier to clean up afterwards ☺


Doug

Answer 5

a