Determining g Lab Deliverable

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[glow=red,2,300]Regents Physics Lab Deliverable #1: Determining g[/glow]

Create a news article relaying the breaking news – that young physicists at Irondequoit High School have calculated the acceleration due to gravity, g, in a novel manner. Be sure to include details regarding the procedure and accuracy of their measurements. Post your news article by replying to this message.

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What is the magnitude of gravity and how does it apply to objects?

This is the very question that students in Regents physics answered on Monday, October 18th. The students had to design a lab using only a stopwatch, a ball, a meter stick, and their knowledge of physics. In their group, team members decided to write their procedure as such:

[list type=decimal]

[li]measure (in meters) the height of the ceiling to the ground.[/li]

[li]using a stopwatch, determine the time it takes to drop a ball from the ceiling to the time it hits the ground.[/li]

[li]repeat 9 more times, recording each result in a table or chart.[/li]

[li]find the average time from the ten previous results.[/li]

[li]Using kinematic equations, solve for the magnitude of gravity's acceleration.[/li]

[li]calculate percent error using the following equation: measured value- accepted value / accepted value.[/li]

[list type=decimal]

[li]mark a persons height when one arm is stretched upwards to its limit. mark this height with a piece of tape.[/li]

[li]have the student put a small piece of tape on their fingertips.[/li]

[li]when they jump, stick the tape onto the wall at the pick of their jump.[/li]

[li]measure the distance between the two pieces of tape and record (in meters).[/li]

Even after all of this was done, the cruel and inhumane teacher made them do yet another test. The students had to yet again calculate the vertical displacement of their jumps but this time, they only had stopwatches and their knowledge of physics. The short procedure went as such:

[list type=decimal]

[li]record in seconds the time lapse that the student was in the air.[/li]

[li]use kinematic equations to solve for "D" in the equations.[/li]

[li]Calculate percent error.[/li]

The students are pushed to the test every day by this demanding teacher but it seems to obviously help their comprehension of physics and its surrounding forces.

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We calculated the acceleration due to gravity!!!!

First We measuered 2 meters above ground level with a 2 meter stick. Then our group dropped a ball from that two meters and recorded each trial 3 times measuing for number of seconds it took the ball to hit the ground. In trial #1, it took about .7 seconds for the ball to hit the ground. Trial #2 came to equal .62 seonds while trial #3 equaled .65 seconds. Through calculating the average time, .65 seconds, we plugged that into the eaquation d=Vi(t)+1/2(a)(t)^2 after plugging in our initial information that was given. After solving everything out, the acceleration due to gravity was 9.467 m/s^2. Our percent of error after this encounter came to equal 3.5% after using our value of acceleration due to gravity minus the accepted value which is 9.81 m/s^2 then once again divided by the accepted value. Which is pretty low seeing our value of acceleration due to gravity was .34 m/s^2 less then the accepted value. Making our experiment fairly accurate.

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Today we have marked a time in history! Our mission started with finding gravity... Our lab consisted of dropping a ball from the ceiling and timing how long it took. First we started by measuring the height from floor to ceiling which we found to be 1.73 meters. Then we timed it three times with an average of .46 seconds. We knew to use the equation d=vit+1/2at^2. When subbing in the values, we found gravity to be 8.18 m/s^2 which is pretty close to the actual 9.18m/s^2 actual gravity on earth. Even after this being super close, Fullerton had us do yet another test. This test consisted of using the human vertical test. First we timed how long each person could be in the air and averaged all the group members times which ended up being .617 seconds. Then we did how high a person could jump and it was .3375 meters. When using the equation d=vit+1/2at^2, we found gravity to be 1.77 m/s^2. This value we could just pretty much throw in the trash because we found it to 98% error. So with our gravity experiment, 8.18 m/s^2 is pretty well.

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By completing a lab in Phyiscs class, we were able to determine the acceleration due to gravity and figure out how close we are able to come to the standard used everywhere else, or 9.81m/s^2. One method we used was by dropping a ball from a set height, the ceiling which was found to be 2.76 meters to the floor. Then, using the stop watch we timed how long the ball took to hit the ground. We did this for three trials. We knew the equation D/t^2=Vi+(1/2)a(t)^2 and then solved it for the variable a, or acceleration. Next, we plugged in what was known into the equation a=2(d)/(t)^2. We did this for each different time we recorded in the trials. We had three fairl y close measurements to the standard 9.81, our closest being 11.9m/s^2. As a reslut of a few simple tests, its interesting to see how everyday things can be connected to something that may not seem possible. After this lab, you get a better understanding of real physics.

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Today at Irondequoit High School, students in Mr. Fullerton's phyics class were asked to find accelertation due to gravity using a small basketball or a red gator skin ball. The class was divided into groups to do this experiment. They were given the ball, a tape measure, and a stopwatch. They measured the distance from the floor to the ceiling in meters. It was 2.74 meters. Next, they took the ball and held it to the ceiling. The ball was dropped from the top of the ceiling to the floor and the students used a stop watch to record the time that it was released from the ceiling till it hit the floor. The students repeated the trial 3 times and recorded the average time. The average time turned out to be .65 seconds. The intial velocity was 0 m/s when it was released. With the 3 givens, the students used the equation d= vit+ 1/2at^2 to find acceleration due to gravity. This equation was derived to be a= 2d-vit/t^2. The variables were plugged into this equation. 2(2.74m)-0m/s(.65s)/ .65s^2. The students found out that gravity was 12.9704 m/s^2.

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Physics Students of IHS calculate gravity!

On Tuesday, October 18th, 2010, four physics students of IHS, with the use of the materials given to them, were able to calculate the acceleration due to gravity. By using a stopwatch, the students timed how long each of them remained in the air before landing on the ground. LH had an average time of .58 second, KH had an average time of .55 seconds, BY had an average time of .75 seconds, and KB

had an average time of .53 seconds.

"Because I'm the only non-athlete in the group, everyone had better results than me," claimed KB. "Here we have LH playing soccer, KH playing field hockey, and BY the football star who headbutted the football into the field goal October 2nd during the game against Fairport. It's all about leg strength; which I don't have as much of as everyone else in my group."

After the experiment, the students added the average times together, and divided them up to get .56 seconds for t when determining Vi, Vf, d, a, and t. Then, the students used the 176 cm given to them from the height experiment to help them calculate Vf, which turned out to be 3.09 m/s. Finally, they calculated a by taking Vf^2 and Vi^2 and dividing them by 2d, which resulted in 8.48 m/s^2, which is close to the gravitational 9.81m/s^2 acceleration.

And so, for the first time in IHS history, these four students were able to calculate gravity without the use of high-tech equipment, which would've given them a more accurate calculation. These students have so much to feel proud of, and are set to have a successful rest of the year in physics.

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Breaking News!!!

Young pyysicist Abby from IHS has calculated her acceleration due to gravity!

In a performance of three trials Abby calculated the average time in which she was in the air to calculate her maximum displacement.

First: .60s

Second: .65s Average time=.59s

Third: .55s

In order to find d, you need to use the equation d=vit+1/2at^2, already knowing you have an initial velocity of 0, an acceleration of 9.81m/s^2 and a time of .259s, because you take the average time which is .59s and divide it by two. You divide your amount of time by two, because you only want to know the time of one direction she was in the air.

vi: 0

vf: d=vit+1/2at^2

d:? 0(.295)+(0.5)(9.81)(.259)^2 =.33 m

a: 9.81m/s^2

t: .59s/2=.295s Abbys average vertical jump is .33 m

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Today at Irondequoit High School, history was made. In Mr. Fullerton's physics class, the students were given the task to calculate their maximum displacement. Each student jumped in the air three times and each jump was timed. Holly's first time was .59 seconds, her second jump was .59 seconds again and her third jump was .49 seconds. Her average time came to be .56 seconds. In order to find her maximum displacement, she used the equation d=vit+1/2at^2. This is how she set up the problem:

initial velocity: 0 m/s

final velocity:

displacement: ?

acceleration: 9.81 m/s^2

time: . 56/2 = .25

d=(0 m/s)(.56 sec) + (1/2)(9.81 m/s^2)(.25^2)

d=0 + (.5)(9.81 m/s^2)(.0625)

d=.3065625

Holly's average vertical jump is .31 meters.

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Breaking news:

Four students at Irondequoit high school have discovered a new way to determine the acceleration of an object due to gravity. The students made this discovery using only three objects: a ball, a tape measure, and a stopwatch. First, the students used the tape measure to find a height of one meter from the surface of the lab counter. Then, using the stopwatch, the students timed how long it took for the ball to fall after being dropped one meter from the top of the counter. The person timing pressed the start button on the stopwatch when the ball was dropped, and the stop button when it hit the counter. The group preformed three trials, and found that the average time it took for the ball to fall one meter was .28 seconds. They then used the kinematic equation:

$\ d = {v_i}t + {\textstyle{1 \over 2}}a{t^2}$

Which they converted to:

$\ a = {{2(d - {v_i}t)} \over {{t^2}}}$

to calculate the acceleration of the ball due to gravity. They found the acceleration due to gravity to be 23.51 m/s^2. Obviously, their was a high percentage of error in this experiment, because actual acceleration due to gravity is about 9.81m/s^2. When the group calculated their error percentage, they found their percentage of error to be 140%. The four students must have received some faulty information, because the results of their experiment were not accurate at all.

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The four students must have received some faulty information, because the results of their experiment were not accurate at all.

Do you think you really received faulty information? What else could have accounted for the large error?

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The Aleni Times: Physics Special

BREAKING NEWS

October 23, 2010

ROCHESTER – Earlier this week, a group of renowned scientists, under the direction of physics genius Mr. Fullerton, released data that gives rise to the idea that acceleration due to gravity exists, and possibly even as a constant.

Still in its early stages, the data is yet to be deemed as conclusive. But these scientists are certainly delivering promise of progress.

Baseball player Allen Porter, on Wednesday morning, dropped a kickball to the ground, while cross-country runner Aleni Sammler timed how long it remained airborne. Because these young scientists believe in accuracy, this procedure was repeated three times with the help of cheerleader Carly Krietzberg and tall guy Alan Stell. Using the kinematic equation D/t^2=Vi+(1/2)a(t)^2 these four determined the acceleration due to gravity to be 7.27 m/s2.

Though, their data leaves much room for even more accuracy, as their materials were not exactly state-of-the-art. Compared to the calculations of other scientists, their percent error is around 26%.

Despite this, their efforts are laudable. Stay tuned to see what else these young scientists can accomplish.

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The Aleni Times: Physics Special

BREAKING NEWS

October 23, 2010

ROCHESTER – Earlier this week, a group of renowned scientists, under the direction of physics genius Mr. Fullerton, released data that gives rise to the idea that acceleration due to gravity exists, and possibly even as a constant.

Still in its early stages, the data is yet to be deemed as conclusive. But these scientists are certainly delivering promise of progress.

Baseball player Allen, on Wednesday morning, dropped a kickball to the ground, while cross-country runner Aleni timed how long it remained airborne. Because these young scientists believe in accuracy, this procedure was repeated three times with the help of cheerleader Carly and tall guy Alan. Using the kinematic equation D/t^2=Vi+(1/2)a(t)^2 these four determined the acceleration due to gravity to be 7.27 m/s2.

Though their data leaves much room for even more accuracy, as their materials were not exactly state-of-the-art. Compared to the calculations of other scientists, their percent error is around 26%.

Despite this, their efforts are laudable. Stay tuned to see what else these young scientists can accomplish.

Edited by FizziksGuy
remove formal names
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Young physicists at IHS have calculated the acceleration due to gravity. First we used a 2 meter stick to measure two meters above the ground. Then our group dropped a ball from that two meter mark and timed how long it took from the time the ball was released to the time the ball hit the ground. We did three trials of this and recorded our data. Next our group took the average of our findings and plugged that number into the equation on the refrence table to find the acceleration. We found the acceleration due to gravity to be 7.71 m/s^2. We then figured out that we had a 21.3 percent error. Which is really not that bad considering the procedure that we ad to use along with all the human error that was involved in this experiment.

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Today at IHS, physics students found a new way to calculate g or the acceleration due to gravity. We found this by using a tape measure, a ball and a stopwatch. First we measrued the distance between the ceiling and the floor of the room and found it to be 2.61m. We then timed the ball on how long it too to reach the ground within that distance. We calculated .56 seconds, .55 seconds and .53 seconds, with an average time of .55 seconds. With the ball having an initial velocity of 0m/s, we found g by using the equation d=vit+(1/2)at^2 and substituting .55s for t, 2.61m for d and 0 for vi. G was caluclated to be 17.26m/s^2. We found g but our value is not as accurate as some others being that our % error was 75%. (Accepted value being 9.81 m/s^2) We may have found a new way to find g but its obvious that the method needs some type of change or improvement to lower % error.

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On Tuesday of this past week, physics students at Irondequoit High School calculated the acceleration due to gravity, g. Although the accepted value of g is 9.81 m/s^2, the students wanted to see just how accurately they could match that value.

To do this, students performed a lab using a meter stick, a red ball, and a stopwatch. They performed several trials in which one student held the meter stick, one dropped the ball from the top of the meter stick to the ground, and another timed how long it took the ball to hit the ground.

One lab group consisting of Catherine, Grace, Kaybe, Bri, and Priscilla did five trials and got an average time of 0.48 seconds. Using this, as well as an initial velocity of 0 meter/second and a distance of 1 meter, they were able to find acceleration.

Using the formula:

$\ d= vit + 1/2at^2$,

they calculated acceleration to be 8.68 m/s^2, with an error of only 12%.

Good job physics students!

Edited by kitcat94
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STUDENTS AT IRONDEQUOIT HIGH SCHOOL DETERMINE ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY:

This lab helped the students at irondequoit high school determine acceleration due to gravity. For this part of the lab we dropped a ball from 3 different heights and timed how long it took each ball to drop. For our first trial we started the ball at 2 meters. when we dropped it, it took .63 seconds until it hit the ground. For trial 2 we dropped the ball at 1.8 meters high. When it was there, the ball took .42 meters to hit the floor. Lastly for trial 3 the ball was held at 1.6 meters, and it took .35 seconds to hit the ground. To calculate acceleration for each trial, we used the formula d=vit+1/2at². Our acceleration was 10.1 m/s² which is fairly close to 9.81m/s² which is the actual acceleration due to gravity on earth. After we did that we found the percent error which was 9.9% overall, which isn't to bad.

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Just In: Breaking News From Irondequoit High School, Physics Department.

Today a group of 4 NYS Regents Physics Students of a Mr. Fullerton calculated the average acceleration of the force of gravity; a long standing statistic of physics that have allowed physicists to make several important breakthroughs in the history of the world. Dropping, timing, recording, this eager group of 4 young physicists along with a ball, table, and stop watch test and tried the very laws of physics. Throughout 3 different trials of dropping the ball, recording the time, and repeating, the group of 4 would the following times: 0.56s, 0.53s, 0.55s. Dividing then by the height of the room--2.61 meters--the group of students got a 3 different results for the 3 different trials;8.32m/s2, 9.29m/s2, 8.63m/s2 all just a little tiny bit off the real statistic: 9.81 m/s2. When calculating the percent error of those students calculation--that can be shown through this simple formula, |Your Value- Accepted Value| / Accepted Value X 100--they found the highest off was 15.2% corresponding to the stat 8.32m/s2. The most accurate of course was the second trial 9.29m/s2 rating with only 5.3% off; following that was 12.0% off with 8.63m/s2 in the 3rd trial! And yes we know today is a slow newsday.

Reporting from IHS,

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Students at Irondequoit High school calculated acceleration due to gravity. They started by measuring two meters above ground level by using a two meter stick. The students then dropped a ball from the two meter measurement 3 times recording the time it took to hit the ground each time. The data collected showed that in trail one it took the ball .31 seconds to hit the ground, trail two .64 seconds and finally trail 3 .7 seconds. Gathering the data from the three trails the students then found the averaged time in seconds that it took the ball to hit the ground which was .55 seconds. With the previous information they received about vi and d, they plugged that information into the equation d=Vi(t)+at^2. After solving the equation the acceleration due to gravity was 7.27m/s^2. The percent error in the students experiment was 25.8%, this was determined by using the their value of acceleration due to gravity minus the accepted value of acceleration (9.81m/s^2) divided by the accepted value. The value that the students got for acceleration due to gravity is not close to the actual value creating such a high percent error, this could have been caused by human error.

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Hi There! It seems that to receive a good grade on the latest physics lab write-up, one must deliver the information of a recent lab in a "novel manner". So here goes: After hours of back-breaking toil, regents level students in Mr. Fullerton's 9 period class calculated acceleration due to gravity! As it appears to have been explain 10 times already, the way they made this incredibly unique and mind-boggling discovery was by dropping several large red balls down a measured length of 2 meters. They measured the time it took for the large red ball to reach the ground, three times and then averaged them to be .48 seconds. Now the young scientists had Initial Velocity: 0 m/s, Time: .48 sec., and Distance: 2 m. They could plugged this information into the formula d=Vit+1/2at^2 to get an acceleration of 8.68 m/s^2. So actually, they didn't calculate the more generally accepted value, but gosh darnit they sure got close! Thanks for reading and, stay classy San Diego!

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THe kids in physics class calculated the acceleration due to gravity in thte last lab. We used the meter sticks to measure two meters above the ground. Then we dropped the ball from the marked off height and measured the time it took to hit the floor. While doing this we recorded the data and times we got in our table for three trials. After the trials of dropping the ball we took the numbers and did our calculations with the average time. We found the acceleration due to gravity to be 7.71 m/s^2. However we know this is wrong because we know acceleration is really 9.81 m/s^2. Therefor we calculated our percent errror to be 23% for the experiment

Emmy Poccia

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Irondequoit High School students calculate acceleration due to gravity!

Irondequoit, NY - Students at Irondequoit High School were able to calculate acceleration due to gravity, g, through laboratory experiments. JB thoroughly outlined the procedure of the experiment. The first objective was to use kinematic equation to determine the acceleration due to gravity, g, using a tape measure, a ball, and a stopwatch. First using a 2 meter stick, one person holds the ball 2 meters above the ground. Next the person who is holding the ball, also holding a stopwatch, starts the stopwatch when the ball is released, and when the ball hits the ground, the time is stopped. This is executed 3 times, and the average time is taken, and the acceleration is calculated by using the time. The formula used is d= vi(t)+1/2at^2. The formula needs to be adjusted to calculated acceleration, and the new formula is a= 2(d-vi(t)/t^2. The final acceleration calculated is 12.76 m/s^2. By using this calculated value of gravity, g, percent error is calculated by taking Your Value (calculated acceleration) - Accepted Value (accepted acceleration) and divide it by the Accepted Value. For myself it was 12.76 m/s^2—9.81 m/s^2 / 9.81 m/s^2. The value of this is .3007. To get percentage error, this number next needs to be multiplied by 100 to get percent error which is 30.7%. This experiment proved to be somewhat accurate in determining acceleration due to gravity, g, but is not as accurate as other methods of calculating acceleration due to gravity.

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This afternoon EP, star kicker from Irondequoit High School, decided he had enough of NDr and threw him head first out of the open 3rd story window. The velocity of the throw was extremely fast and threrefore his fall to the hard ground didn'ttake to long. The acceleration though, is a constant 9.81 meters per second squared.

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A summed up report of MR and Physics Buddies solved the problem of calculating the acceleration of gravity. After dropping balls from the ceiling to the floor at a height of 2.61 meters a median time of 0.55 seconds was recorded. After plugging in and solving for acceleration and finding it to be 17.26 meters per second^2. This may seem to be off but only because of the equipment used and a motion detected sensor would have been more appropriate. The delay of these results is due to outside reasons that will be posted at a later date.

The Management

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BREAKING NEWS!!!!

The physics students at Irondequoit High School determined acceleration due to gravity!! The students at Irondequoit High School used a tape measure, a ball, and a stopwatch. The first thing the students did was to find a height of one meter above the surface of one of the lab counters in Mr. Fullerton's room. They then a stopwatch to time how long it took for the ball to hit the surface of the lab counter one meter below where they dropped it. They did this three times and timed each one of the trials. After all three trials were done with they found the average time to be about .67 seconds and used the kinematic equation d=Vit+(1\2)at^2 to find the acceleration. After rearranging the equation to solve for acceleration they found the acceleration due to gravity to be about 12.97 m/s^2. Obviously there must have been a high percentage of error using such low tech methods of finding acceleration. So the students found that the precent error to the accepted acceleration due to gravity was about 37.5%. The students were very close to the actual value but lacked detailed measurements which caused the experiment to have a good amount of error.

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