Kevin Moreno

MichaelaKerrigan
Jose Antonio Jacome
Predicting and finding the change of distance of x
Objective: To predict the change of displacement of x in a metal ball falling from a ramp placed in the
roof of the rotonda by calculating it with the results of previous experiments.
Hypothesis: If it took 0.74 s in average for a metal ball to travel 1m,and 1.02 s for the metal ball to fall
from the roof of the rotonda, then the change of displacement in x would be 1.377m.
If we know the initial horizontal velocity of a metal ball after falling from a ramp, and the time it takes for
it to fall when dropped from the rotonda (3
rd
floor) , then we will be able to have an accurate calculation
of the change in the x displacement (in this case 1.377m) of the metal ball when its dropped from the
third floor with the impulse of a ramp because we can calculate the change of displacement of x with the
following formula :

Research: To begin with, acceleration is a vector which is the rate at which an object changes velocity.
When and object is in constant acceleration, this means the velocity increases or decreases by the same
amount each second. This is not to be confused with constant velocity, the difference is that it is not
staying at the same speed, constant acceleration is the constant increase or decrease in velocity in a given
time period. When an object is free falling, this means it is falling under only the influence of gravity.
There are two important aspects only true to free falling objects. These do not encounter air resistance,
and if on Earth it falls by -9.81 m/s
2
. Projectile motion is referred to as the motion of an object projected
into the air at an angle.(Hyatt, 1996) Gravity, on the other hand is the force which pulls all matter
together. Since mass is what is used to measure the amount of matter, gravity is bases on the amount of
mass. The more mass an object has, the larger the gravitational pull it exerts. Gravity in all parts of earth,
except the equator, is always the same. The numerical value for gravity on Earth will always be -
9.81M/S.
Materials:
1. Metal ball
2. String (1m)
3. Ramp
4. Chronometer
5. Satchel
6. Table
7. Meter tape
Procedure:
Ramp velocity (table)
1. Setup the ramp
2. Stretch the string
3. Place the metal ball in top of the ramp and prepare timer.
4. Drop the ball
5. Start timing when ball reaches the table, and stop when it travels the 1m string.
Free fall
1. Divide your group. 1 person should go up to the rotondas roof while the other two should stay
downstairs to record the data.
2. Once upstairs alert your group that you are ready to drop the ball.
3. Count until 3 and drop.
4. People downstairs should record the time it takes the ball to reach the ground.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 six times.
Free fall with ramp (projectile motion)
1. Divide your group. 1 person should go up to the rotondas roof while the other two should stay
downstairs to record the data.
2. Place the ramp on the ledge of the rotondas roof. (setup)
3. Place the metal ball in top of the ramp.
4. Alert your group that you are ready to drop the ball.
5. Count to 3 and let the ball roll through the ramp.
6. People downstairs have to record the distance the ball travelled for x with the help of a meter
tape.
Results and Calculations
Ramp Velocity:
Dimension 1(s) 2(s) 3(s) 4(s) 5(s) 6(s) Tm(s)
(average)
Time 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.75 0.69 0.75 0.74

In the table above we found the time it took a metal ball to travel 1m after falling from a ramp. We used
the chronometer to calculate the time. We found the average time by adding all the results and dividing by
the total number of results. We can see that all our data was very accurate since it didnt change with the
exception of trial #5. This trial most likely was recorded incorrectly, because the time recorder had a
delayed reaction.
Distance (m) Average Time
(s)
Velocity (m/s)
1m 0.74s 1.35 m/S

This table shows the velocity of the metal ball as it travelled 1m. We found the velocity by dividing the
distance by the average time.
Free Fall:
Dimension 1(s) 2(s) 3(s) 4(s) 5(s) 6(s) Tm(s)
(average)
Time 1.16s 0.94s 1.00s 0.94s 1.04s 1.06s 1.02s

This table shows the time it took the metal to hit the ground when thrown from the rotonda. Adding all
the results and dividing by the total number of results found the average time. Here the time it took for the
metal ball to fall, varied a lot, but always stayed between 1.16 and 0.94 which is again a very precise and
constant measurement.

Free fall with ramp (projectile motion)
Dimension 1(m) 2(m) 3(m) 4(m) 5(m) 6(m) Change
of
distance
(x)
Average.
Displacement
X
1.46m 1.40m 1.20m 1.45m 1.41m 1.49m 1.401m

In the table above the displacement of x shows how far from the base of the building the ball landed when
being thrown from the rotundas roof when being projected of the ramp.
Theoretical value :

Experimental Error:
[


]

[

]

Conclusions:
Dont restate purpose.
In this experiment we where able to understand that theoretical values are not the same as experimental
values. This is because in theoretical values we dont have the presence of air friction and this gives as a
result a different value. We also reinforced that gravity is a continuous force that affects an object velocity
by accelerating it by 9.81m/s
2
,but gravity doesnt affect the horizontal velocity while only affecting the
vertical. Therefore, it is expected for the change in displacement of x to be the same when using the ramp
on a table or on the 3
rd
floor of the rotonda.
The experiment used formulas to help us understand what is happening when throwing an object, and
with this knowledge be able to apply it to real life situations. Our hypothesis stated that if we know the
initial horizontal velocity of a metal ball after falling from a ramp, and the time it takes for it to fall when
dropped from the rotonda (3
rd
floor) , then we will be able to have an accurate calculation of the change in
the x displacement (in this case 1.377m) of the metal ball when its dropped from the third floor with the
impulse of a ramp. It was supported since our theoretical value was very close to our experimental value.
We estimated the change of displacement of x would be 1.377m with the following equation:

Our experimental average in was 1.401m having a percentage error of only 1.67% calculated with
the equation:
[

]
This shows that are calculation where very accurate to the actual results.
In the experiment we noticed there where many possible factors that could affect the final outcome, the
most important human errors. This is because humans who are not perfect may have a delayed reaction
for stopping the stopwatch when the ball hits the ground or travels 1m. Therefore if we wanted to improve
the experiment it would be better if we could eliminate the human error by using more advanced tracking
technology.

Bibliography
Don, H. (1996). The Physics of Projectile Motion. Recuperado el 13 de November de 2012, de
http://library.thinkquest.org/2779/
NA. (1196). Describing Motion with words. Recuperado el 13 de November de 2012, de The Physics
Classroom: http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1dkin/u1l1e.cfm
NA. (1996). Introduction to free fall. Recuperado el 13 de November de 2012, de The Physics Classroom:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1dkin/u1l5a.cfm
team, S. (February de 2001). What is gravity? Recuperado el 13 de November de 2012, de StarChild
questions of the month: http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/questions/question30.html