Experimental tests Learning objectives:

Does a heavy object fall faster than a lighter object? -+ Define 'free fall'.
Release a stone and a small coin at the same rime. Which one hits -+ Explain how the velocity of a
rhe ground first? The answer to chis question was firsr discovered by freely falling object changes
GaWeo Galileli about four centuries ago. He reasoned that because any as it falls.
number of identical objects must fall at the same rate, then any one -+ Discuss if objects of different
such object must fall at the same rate as the rest put together. So he masses or sizes all fall with
concluded that any two objects must fall ar the same rate, regardless the same acceleration.
of their relative weights. Ile was reported to have demonstrated the
correctness of his theory by releasing rwo different weights from the Specification reference: 3.4.1.3
top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The inclined plane test

Galileo wanced to know ir a fa lling object speeds up as it falls, but
clocks and stopwatches were devices of the future. The simplest test he
could chink of was co time a ball as it rolled down a plank. He devised
a dripping water clock, counting the volume of the drips as a measure
of rime. He measured how long the ball took to travel equal distances
down the slope from rest. His measurements showed that the ball
gained speed as it travelled down the slope. In other words, he showed
that the ball accelerated as it rolled down the slope. He reasoned
that the acceleration would be greater the steeper rhe slope. So he
concluded that an object falling vertically accelerates.

Acceleration due to gravity O

One way to investigate the free fall of a ball is to make a multiflash photo
A Figure 1 Galileo Galilei 1564-1642
or video clip of the ball's flight as it falls after being released from rest. A
vertical metre rule can be used to provide a scale. To obtain a multiflash
photo, an ordinary camera with a slow speed shutter may be used to
record the ball's descent in a dark room illuminated by a stroboscope
(a flashing light). The flash ing light needs to flash at a known
constant rate of about 20 flashes per second. Figure 2 shows a possible
arrangement using a steel ball a nd a multiflash photo taken with this
arrangement. If you make a video clip, you need to be able to rerun the
clip at slow speed with the time displayed.

metre rule -+---•

dark
background
stroboscope
\ I I I I metre
,',11 ,, ,,
I/
camera
rule
, ,
-
~1
:. Practical link Ji
Adigital camera or a similar device
can also be used to obtain avideo
clip that can be analysed to obtain g.

A Figure 2 Investigating free fall

7.4 Free fall
What Galileo did for
science
In addition to his discoveries
on motion, Galileo made other
important scientific discoveries
such as the four innermost
moons of Jupiter. He became a
big supporter of the Copernican,
or Sun-centred, model of the
Solar System. This upset the
Catholic Church, which believed
that the Earth was at the centre
of the Universe, and Galileo
was ban ned from teaching the
Copernican model. He wrote
a book about it in protest,
which became a bestseller and
upset the Church even more.
Galileo was condemned to
spend the rest of his life under
house arrest. However, his
trial attracted a lot of publicity
all over Europe, and his work
was taken up enthusiastically
by other scientists as a result.
Galileo showed the importance
of valid observations and
measurements in developing
our understanding of the natural
world. He also showed that
science is powerful enough to
change established beliefs.
0: Describe another
situation when scientific
observations caused a
scientific theory to be
altered or replaced.
Synoptic link
You will meet different graphs in
more detail in Topic 16.4, Straight
line graphs, and Topic 16.5, More
on graphs.
For each image of the ball on the photograph. the time or descent of
the ball and the distance fallen by the ball from rest can be measured
directly. The photograph shows that the ball speeds up as it foils,
because it travels further between successive images. Measurements
from this photograph are given in Table I .
T Table 1 Free fall measurements
0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 g
0 0.06 0.10 0.13 0.16 0.19 0.23 0.26 0.29
0 0.02 0.04 0.07 0.12 0.17 0.24 0.33 0.42
How can you tell if the acceleration is constan t rrom these results?
One way is to consider how the distance Fallen, s, would vary with
time. t, for constant acceleration. From Topic 7.3, we know that
s = ut + ~ at2, where u =the initia l speed and a= acceleration.
In this experiment, u = 0.
Therefore s = ~ at2 for constant acceleration, a.
Compare this equation with the genera l equa tion for a s traight line
graph, y = mx + c, where mis the gradient and c is the y-interccpt.
H we let y represent s and let x represent t2, then m =.!.a and c = 0.
2
So a graph of s against t2 should therefore give a straight line through
the origin. In addition, the gradient of the line (=.!.a) can be measured,
2
enabling the acceleration(= 2 x gradient) to be calculated.
Figure 3 shows this graph. As you can sec, it is a straight line through
the origin. We can therefore conclude that the equations= .!.at2
applies here so the acceleration of a falling object is constanf Show for
yourself that the gradient of the line is 5.0 m s-2 (±0.2 m s- 2 ), giving an
acceleration of 1om s-2 .
Because there are no external forces acting on the object apart
rrom the force of gravity, this value of acceleration is known as
the acceleration of free fall and is represen ted by the symbol g .
Accurate measurements give a value of 9.8ms- 2 near the Earth's
surface.
The ·suvat' equations from Topic 8.3 may be applied to any free fall
situation where air resistance is negligible.
The equations can also be applied to situa tions where objects are
thrown vertically upwards. As a general rule, apply the direction
code+ for upwards and - for downwards when values are inserted into
the suvat equations.
,
 50
Summary questions
45

40 g = 9.Bm s-2
1 fO A pebble, released at rest
~ 35 from a canal bridge, took 0.9 s
0
E 30 to hit the water. Calculate:
_g
a the distance it fell before
~ 25
E
Q)
hitting the water
l6 20 b its speed just before
a.
"' 15
'5 hitting the water.

10
2 fO Aspanner was dropped
from a hot air balloon when
5 the balloon was at rest SO m
above the ground. Calculate:
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 a the time taken fo r the
(time taken)2 I 10- 3 s2 spanner to hit the ground
~ Figure 3 Agraph ofs against t 2
b the speed of impact of
the spanner on hitting the
Practical: measuring g " ground.
Use an electronic timer or motion sensor to make your own 3 Abungee jumper jumped off
measurements ors and t. Repeat your measurements to obtain an a platform 75 m above a lake,
average timing for each measured distance and plot a suitable gra ph releasing a small object at the
to find 9. instant she jumped off the
platform.
~ a fO Calculate i the time
Worked example ~
taken by the object to fall
g =9.Sms- 2 to the lake, II the speed
of impact of the object on
A coin was released at rest at the top of a well. It took l.6s to hit
hitting the water, assuming
the bottom of the we ll. Calculate a the distance fallen by the coin,
air resistance is negligible.
b its speed just before impact.
b Explain why the bungee
Solution jumper would take longer
u =0, t = 1.6 s, a= -9.8 m s- 2 (-as g acts downwards) to descend than the time
a To find s, uses= !.a1 2 as u = O taken in a.
2
Therefore s =.!.2 x -9.8 x 1.6 2 4 fO An astronaut on the
Moon threw an object 4.0 m
= -12.5m (- indicates 12.Sm downwards)
vertically upwards and caught
b To find v, use v =u + at it again 4.5 slater. Calculate:
= O + (-9.8 x 1.6) =- l 5.7ms- 1 (- indicates downward
a the acceleration due to
velocity)
gravity on the Moon
b the speed of projection of
the object
c how high the object would
have risen on the Earth,
for the same speed of
projection .