Free Fall Virtual Lab Simulation

General Aim of Free Fall

Determine the uniform acceleration of a freely falling object due to gravity.

Free Fall Method

Measure the displacement of a freely falling object (y) by taking successive shots of the falling object with recording the time of each shot. Also, calculate the object’s acceleration due to gravity (g).

Learning Objectives of Free Fall

• Measure the displacement of a freely falling object.

• Test the hypothesis that the acceleration of a freely falling object is uniform.

• Calculate the uniform acceleration of a falling object due to gravity (g).

• Determine the instantaneous velocity of the falling object.

Theory of Free Fall Simulation

If a body of mass m is accelerated from the state of rest in a constant gravitational field (falling freely) from height y towards the earth’s surface it performs a linear motion. The instant when the ball is released is considered to be the initial time t = 0. The position of the ball along the ruler is described by the variable y. The position of the ball at a time t is given by

                                              y(t) = y₀ + v₀t + ½ gt²                                                        (1)

If the ball is released from rest, the initial velocity is zero: v₀ = 0.

Therefore,

                                                        y(t) = ½ gt²                                                                   (2)

The quantity that tells us how fast an object is moving anywhere along its path is the instantaneous velocity, usually called simply velocity. It is the average velocity between two points on the path in the limit that the time (and therefore the displacement) between the two events approaches zero. We can calculate the instantaneous velocity at a specific time where the initial velocity v₀=0 by Newton’s law for constant acceleration motion;  

                                                          V_f²= V₀² + 2gy                                  (3)

Acceleration of Free Fall Experiment | Principle

The protocols for conducting a free fall experiment can vary depending on the specific setup and equipment used. At this experiment, the protocol involves setting up the equipment, including a stable rod stand with a ruler . With a steel ball and photogate sensors may be positioned along the fall path. The digital timer is connected and started at the moment of object release. Time measurements are recorded, and the distance traveled by the object is measured using the ruler. The data is analyzed to calculate the acceleration due to gravity and validate Newton's 2^nd Law.