Lab 5 - Using High Framerate Photograph

to Determine the Gravity Constant

Adam Burke

I. Introduction and Objectives

The objective of this lab is to confirm the gravitational acceleration constant
of g used within kinematics. In order to do this, water balloons where
dropped from a variety of heights while being captured using a high
framerate camera. The numbers that are calculated will not be exact to the
theoretical values due to variations in the environment such as air
resistance.
II. Background and Theory
Kinematics is the study of objects moving. Four major equations are used
within kinematics to describe the motion of said object. Using these
equations, you can calculate the displacement of an object, the time of travel
of the object, the speed or velocity of the object, and the acceleration. The
equations are as follows:
Displacement:

Time of travel:

Initial velocity:

v0

Final velocity:

Acceleration ( a )
Equation 1:
Equation 3:

v =v 0 +at
1
x=v 0 t + a t 2
2

v +v 0
)t
2

Equation 2:

x=(

Equation 4:

v 2=v 20 +2 a x

These equations only work if all variables are moving either in a vertical or
horizontal line. It does not take into account objects that are moving in both
a horizontal and vertical direction simultaneously. When objects are in free
fall, they fall at a constant acceleration of

9.81

m
2 , regardless of their mass.
s

This is assuming that there are no other forces acting upon the object, such
as drag produced from air.

[1]

This number, g, is what this laboratory will be

looking to confirm. Astronaut David Scott confirmed the theory that gravity
has a constant effect on objects regardless of their mass, on August 2, 1971.
While on the moon, which is a vacuum and there for has no air resistance. He
dropped a feather and a hammer from the same height, at the same time
and watched as they both hit the ground in tandem.

[2]

III. Methods and Procedures

In order to conduct the experiment, we set up a scale of measurements
along a wall at 4, 7, and 10 feet. From these heights we would drop water
balloons. The top of pieces of tape were used to mark the heights.
Perpendicular to the wall, a Sony FS-700 camera was set up and set to shoot
at 960 frames per second. A fixed focal length lens was used on the camera.
A lens adapter was also used on this set up as the mounts on the lens and
the camera were not the same. The FS-700 is a camera capable of shooting
at a resolution of 4K, however, it can shoot at 960 FPS at lower resolutions
and consists of a Super35mm CMOS sensor.

[3]

For higher accuracy, the shot

was framed so that the balloon would travel the entire length of the frame.
As a result, at shorter heights the camera was closer to the drop zone and
farther from the drop zone for higher drops. The setup can be shown in Fig.
1.

Figure 1 Diagram depicting the various drop heights of the

water balloons and camera location for each drop. Not drawn to
Scale

For each height, the balloon was dropped 2 times so that data could be
averaged, in addition to greater analysis between drops of similar constants.
The balloon was dropped in a constant way, where it was held by the knot as
shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2 Balloon being held by knot for consistency across drops.

The FS-700 encodes the video captured at 23.98 FPS at 1920 X 1080,
progressive. Apple QuickTime 7 was used to analyze the video. QuickTime is
a video player which can playback a variety of video codecs and video
containers. Although this is an older version of QuickTime, it includes a
feature which allows the number of frames to be displayed and thus
counted/calculated. We can collect the frame number at which the balloon
began to fall and the frame number that it impacted the ground, which can
be used to determine the amount of time the balloon was in freefall for.
Using the frame feature, which is independent of playback speed allows
more accuracy as we do not have to account for the playback speed of 23.98
FPS.
The frame that was determined the starting frame was the frame at which
the hand released the balloon. Even though, the balloon is slightly higher
than the starting point (as shown in Figure 3), this was determined the
starting point because the balloon has no acceleration or momentum. If the
starting frame had been at the moment balloon crossed the top of the tape,
it would have already had an unknown acceleration and momentum. In order

for the kinematic equations to work, we must know the initial velocity, in this
case: 0m/s2.

4ft

Figure 3 Starting frame of the drop

sequence. 4 feet is from the ground to the
top of the black tape.

The moment the balloon stuck the ground, determined the end frame as
shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4 The balloon just strikes the

ground, and has not deformed yet. This
is the last frame used in calculating the
drop time.

Once the drop time has been calculated, g can be calculated using one of the
kinematic equations explained earlier in the section. The intention of this
laboratory is that only the force of gravity will have an effect on the balloon.
As the force of gravity (fg) is a constant acceleration, we can substitute the
4

variable a in the kinetic equations for g or the gravity acceleration

constant. When selecting what kinetic equation to use, the known variables
and those that can be calculated are taken into account. The variables that
are known are:
V0 (initial velocity) = 0

a (acceleration) = g (gravity) t (time) = can be

calculated

(drop height) = {4ft, 7ft, 10ft} = {1.2192m, 2.1336m, 3.048m}

The equation that includes all of these variables is Equation 3 and therefor
will be used to calculate g.
Equation 3:
1 2
x=v 0 t + a t
2
Substituting V0 and a and simplifying we are left with the equation:
Equation 3.1:
1 2
x= g t
2
It is important too covert the distance of fall ( x ) from feet to meters as
the kinetic equations are based of the metric system and not the imperial
system.

IV. Results and Discussion:

By analyzing the footage using the method described in Section III, the start
and stop frames of the fall were noted and the difference was calculated.
This was compiled in Table 1. Do to error when collecting the video data, the
moment the balloon was dropped was not captured by the camera in both
10ft takes. Figure 5 and 6 shows the first frame of each video. As a result, the
10ft drop cannot be calculated as there is no way of knowing what
acceleration the balloon was at, making the data invalid. This data is
eliminated from any further calculations beyond what appears in Table 1.

Number of Frames at which Balloons were in Free Fall

Test
Start
End
Difference
4ft Take 1
1269 Frames
1710 Frames
441 Frames
4ft Take 2
392 Frames
853 Frames
461 Frames
7ft Take 1
63 Frames
650 Frames
587 Frames
7ft Take 2
260 Frames
842 Frames
582 Frames
10ft Take 1*
0 Frames*
561 Frames*
561 Frames*
10ft Take 2*
0 Frames*
530 Frames*
530 Frames*
Table 1 The start and end frame of the water balloon falling. The Difference was
calculated to give the number of frames which the balloon was in free fall. Start frame
is when the balloon was released. End frame is when it first touches the ground.
*Denotes data has been eliminated due to significant error.

Figure 5 First frame of the first

10ft drop of the water balloon.
Red circle highlights location of
balloon.

Figure 6 First frame of the

second 10ft drop of the water
balloon. Red circle highlights
location of balloon.

By dividing the difference (as calculated in Table 1) by the capture rate of

960 FPS, the length of time the balloon experienced free fall can be
calculated as compiled in Table 2. The equation used is as follows:
F

= The number of frames in which

the balloon fell for (the Difference as

calculated in Table 1).

= The time of free fall the balloon

experienced.
960

= Number of frames the video was

captured at.
Equation 5:
F frames
=T sec
frames
960
sec
Time at which Balloons were in
Free Fall
Test
Time of Fall
4ft Take 1
.459sec
4ft Take 2
.480sec
7ft Take 1
.611sec
7ft Take 2
.606sec
10ft Take 1
-Eliminated10ft Take 2
-EliminatedTable 2 Number of frames which balloon
freefell (as compiled in Table 1) has been
calculated and converted into seconds of
freefall.

Using Equation 3.1 as described in section III, g can be determined by

algebraic rearrangement:
x

= Displacement of Balloon

t = Time of freefall

g = Gravity

Equation 3.2:
2 x
=g
t2
g Based on the Various Drop Heights
Test
g
Percent Error
4ft (1.2192m)
11.574 m/s2
17.98%
Take 1
4ft (1.2192m)
10.583 m/s2
7.88%
Take 2
7ft (2.1336m)
11.430 m/s2
16.51%
Take 1
7ft (2.1336m)
11.620 m/s2
18.45%
Take 2
10ft (3.048m)
-Eliminated-EliminatedTake 1
10ft (3.048m)
-Eliminated-Eliminated7

Take 2
Table 3 Calculated g value compared using the equation and converted
distance units. Percent Error based off of the 9.81m/s 2

Multiple sources of error influenced the results of this lab. Three out of four of
the results calculated had over 15% error. All of the calculated results were
over the known theoretical gravity constant 9.81m/s2.
There were multiple sources of error in the collection of the data. When the
theoretical number is calculated, it is in a vacuum. Therefor air resistance
along with other outside forces are not present. Theoretically, this force of air
resistance should have slowed the balloon down causing a lower g number.
For this reason, it can be determined other forces were present along with
errors in collection.
One force that could be having an effect on the results is the elasticity of the
balloon. When the balloon is released, the knot that it is being held from,
shoots towards the balloon. This force could be accelerating the balloon in
addition to the force of gravity. This theory is further backed up by the
difference in the two 4 foot drops. There is a significant difference between
4ft Take 1 and 4ft Take 2. When reanalyzing the footage, it appears that the
elastic reaction of the balloon is significantly larger in Take 2 than in Take 1,
which could cause the balloon to accelerate more under the theory just
described. Unfortunately, this elastic effect is difficult to represent in still
photographs such as those within this document. There may have also been
additional error due to inconsistency of how the balloon was dropped during
each test.
A second contributing factor in this difference could be the shape of the
balloon. The balloon is more of a tear drop shape in Take 2 which could
cause the object to be more aerodynamic giving it a higher acceleration as
shown in Figure 7 & 8.

Figure 7 First frame of the 4ft DropTake 1. The balloon is not stretched
out as much as it is in the 2nd take.

Figure 8 First frame of the 4ft DropTake 2. The balloon is not stretched out
as much as it is in the 1st take

The material properties of the balloon can cause many problems. The balloon
is not a rigid body and changes its shape as it is in free fall. It starts off as a
tear drop as shown in Figures 7 & 8, but then changes into a spherical shape.
However, this spherical shape is continuously changing as forces such as
air, its own elasticity, and the water inside have an effect on it. The balloon
sometimes rotates during the fall as well, the movements and changes in
shape can be viewed in Figure 9.
Tear Drop
Squished
Sphere
Rotation

Figure 9 Composited frame of the 4ft drop (Take 2). This image
represents the balloon from the start frame and the end frame and
roughly every 116 frames in between. Notice how the balloon begins at
the top as a teardrop shape and turns into more of a squished sphere.
Addition its rotation can be noticed throughout the fall.

Additionally, the frames that were determined the start and stop frames
could have played a key factor in error as previously discussed in section III.
9

Taking this further, there was variation in where the balloon began. At some
drops the balloon was above the tape line where other times it was below
the tape line. As shown in figure 10 and 11. This caused the constant of
x

to change.

Figure 10 Start frame of Take

1 of the 7ft drop the balloon
starts bellow the 7ft mark

Figure 11 Start frame of Take 2

of the 7ft drop the balloon
starts above the 7ft mark.

When conduct the drops, we attempted to make sure that the balloon was at
the correct mark, using someone who was eye level with the mark to direct
the height, however, even though the camera has a different prospective, it
can still be seen that there is variation between the height the balloon was
at, when it started to fall.
Likewise, error could have been generated with the end frames as well.
When analyzing the data, the end frame was determined to be the frame at
which the balloon just touches the ground and does not deform, as shown in
Figure 12. This is because as the balloon hits the floor, energy could be lost
through its deformation and deceleration, as shown in Figure 13.

10

Figure 12 End frame of the 4ft drop

(Take 1). The balloon has just touched
the ground and has not deformed.

Figure 13 Frames past the end frame of

the 4ft drop (Take 1). The balloon is
decelerating and deforming as it strikes
the ground.

11

There were additional sources of error caused by the artifacts produced by

the equipment. For starters, the cameras low resolution recording created a
noisy dark image which made it difficult to view the footage and determine
the start and stop frames. This was particularly prevalent when dropping the
balloons from higher heights as the camera was farther back.
Additional artifacts were caused by the use of the lens adapter. The adapter
added distance between the camera and the lens, which caused the imaging
system to become myopic like a person who is far sighted. In other words,
the camera could not focus at infinity. The infinite image focal point was
moved in front of the sensor. The rays were converging in front of the
imaging sensor when the cameras focus ring was set to infinity as depicted
in Figure 12.

Figure 14 The diagram on the left represents the system without the
lens adapter, the diagram on the right represents the system with the
lens adapter.

This error in the equipment caused the image to be blurrier for the 10ft
drops. This blurriness could add to the noise of the image and increase the
difficulty of determining the start and end points.
V. Conclusions:
In this laboratory, the gravitational acceleration was able to be calculated,
although with significant error, which in many cases exceeded 15%.
Numbers such as 11.620m/s2 was not what was expected when the
theoretical value of g is 9.81m/s2 in a vacuum. It was expected that air
resistance would slow the acceleration down causing lower numbers to be
calculated. This was not the case, as the balloon experienced a higher

acceleration. This error was mainly due in part to the lack of control over the
variables.
If this laboratory were to be repeated, significant measures should be taken
in order to mitigate potential errors and eliminate unwanted variables. Such
measures may include changing the water balloon to a metal ball that is rigid
and does not deform throughout the drop. This would help determine at what
frames the start and end points should be. A spherical, smooth object such
as the ball discussed, would reduce air resistance and would spin less
compared to an object such as a metal cube. Additionally, tools such as a
quick release should be used to drop the object. This would help ensure that
the ball is dropped in a repeatable manner and at the correct heights.
In order to mitigate artifacts caused by the capture system, lights should be
introduced to the scene in order to increase the brightness of the scene and
allow more light to enter the camera, making the images less noisy and dark.
Proper lenses should be used on the camera to ensure that the image will be
in focus when filming the 10-foot drop. Both of these will help create a
clearer image, which will make analyzing the footage easier and more
accurate.
VI. References:
[1] https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/one-dimensionalmotion/kinematic-formulas/a/what-are-the-kinematic-formulas
[2] Dr. Raymond Serway, Ph.D. & Dr. Jerry Faughn, Ph.D. Physics. Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. iBooks. https://itun.es/us/NE2JO.n
[3] https://pro.sony.com/bbsc/assetDownloadController/nexfs700.pdf?
path=Asset%20Hierarchy$Professional$SEL-yf-generic-153710$SEL-yfgeneric-153757SEL-asset-333170.pdf&id=StepID$SEL-asset333170$original&dimension=original