Asperas, Marco

Physics 11
Mr. Cartajenas
Experiment
September 5, 2006
Vetical Acceleration
Problem: Vertical acceleration is a constant value. This investigation will use that
concept to calculate the vertical height of the CIS building.
Hypothesis: 6.096m (10ft/storey, 10ft 3.048m, 3.048 * 2 = 6.096)
Materials:
1. Ball
2. Stopwatch
Procedure:
1. Position one member at the top of the building and one at the bottom. The
member on top holds the ball and the one at the bottom stands close to the
landing site with the stopwatch.
2. Drop the ball and immediately start timing.
3. Obtain the time it takes for the ball to drop (in seconds).
4. Repeat the process four times and get the average time.
5. Using the formula y = y0 + gt^2 (g = -9.8m^2), find the distance (y, in
meters) of the building.
Data:
Trial
1
2
3
4
5

Time (seconds)( 0.06)

1.13
1.21
1.15
1.17
1.10

Data Analysis:
t(average) = (t1+t2+t3+t4+t5)/5
= (1.13+1.21+1.15+1.17+1.10)/5
= 5.76/5
t(average) = 1.15s
The data was totaled and the average time in seconds was obtained. It was then applied
in the formula below to solve for vertical height
y = y0+y0t+ gt^2
y = gt^2

y = (-9.8)(1.15)^2
y = -6.48m
(Note: the -symbol shows downward direction)
Conclusion: My hypothesis was off by a 0.4m margin. Our estimation of the buildings
height by storey was accurate. It was probably short of our finding because of the
distance in between floors, which we did not take into consideration. Other such factors
include wind resistance and inaccurate timing.
Recommendation: One recommendation would be to get the actual height of the
building. By doing this, an accurate basis and comparison can be made.