DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS, AND CHEMISTRY

PHYS182: PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS - LABORATORY

Experiment No. 2
ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY

Objective
To determine acceleration due to gravity Apparatus
and Materials

• ruler/meterstick/tape measure
• 3 objects of different masses (with at least 100g difference in their masses and create a
sound above the environmental noise level like tin can, coin, spoon, etc.)
• 1 object to hit the 3 objects
• acoustic stopwatch (phyphox app)

Theory
For a free-falling object (an object that is falling under the sole influence of gravity), it falls a distance
proportional to the square of the time.
𝑦 ∝ 𝑡2
For a given location on Earth, all objects fall with the same uniform acceleration. This acceleration is
commonly referred to as the acceleration due to gravity and is given the symbol g. This value is g =
9.81 m/s2. The displacement 𝑦 of a freely-falling object which is initially at rest is

𝑦=1 2
𝑔𝑡
2
Procedure
Note: Make sure to take photos for parts I and III to show as proof. Part
I: Measurement of the vertical distance
1. Stand with your feet flat on the floor with your heels against the corner where the wall and
floor meet. Make sure you are standing straight.
2. Have someone place a flat object on top of your head perpendicular to the wall.
3. Lightly mark the wall at the point where the object meets the wall.
4. Measure the vertical distance from the floor to the mark on the wall in centimeters.
5. Record this data as y on the table.
Part II: Preparation of the acoustic stopwatch

1. Download the application “phyphox” from Google Play Store or iOS App Store.
2. In the app, click the acoustic stopwatch. Adjust the threshold and minimum delay values.
Note that the delay time must not be greater than the expected time of the motion.
3. Acoustic stopwatch works when a sound is used to trigger a signal. Two sounds (signals)
must be created. The first sound triggers the application to start the timer and the second
sound to stop the timer.

Part III: Measurement of the time the object reaches the ground

1. Prepare the three objects of different masses: object 1 being the lightest and object 3 the
heaviest.
2. Lift the object at a level same to the mark on the wall. Make sure that the object creates a
sound when hit.
3. Drop the object (simultaneously hitting it using another object). This “first” sound must trigger
the timer to start.
4. The second sound must be the sound created by the object as it reaches the ground. This
“second” sound must trigger the timer to stop.
5. Record the time, t, on the table. 6. Do this 10 times for each object.

Part IV: Computation of the acceleration due to gravity value and percentage error

1. Solve for the experimental value of the acceleration due to gravity (in m/s2) using the
equation:
1
𝑦 = 𝑔𝑡2
2

2. Solve for the average value and record on the table.

3. Solve for the percentage error. Show solutions.

When comparing an experimental result to a value determined by theory or to an accepted

known value (like g = 9.81 m/s2) we determine the difference between the experimental value
and the theoretical value as a percentage of the theoretical value. In the definition below,
"theoretical" is the value that is determined from theory (i.e., calculated from physics equations)
or taken as a known or accepted value like g.

|𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 − 𝑔𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙|
% 𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = 𝑥100
𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙

Note: Use correct number of significant figures in the computations.

 DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS, PHYSICS, AND CHEMISTRY

PHYS182: PHYSICS FOR ENGINEERS - LABORATORY

Experiment No. 2
ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY

GROUP NO. ____

NAME: Sol Angelo C. Singson DATE: February 4, 2023

COURSE, YEAR & SECTION: BSCE-1 M11 INSTRUCTOR: Engr. Marjon T. Navida

Data and Results

OBJECT 1: VOLLEYBALL
Trial mass (g) y (cm) t (s) g (m/s2)
1 280 165 0.598 9.23
2 0.655 7.69
3 0.645 7.93
4 0.654 7.72
5 0.515 12.44
6 0.508 12.79
7 0.583 9.71
8 0.589 9.51
9 0.654 7.72
10 0.698 6.77
Average 9.15

Percentage Error: 6.73%

OBJECT 2: JOHNSON BABY POWDER
Trial mass (g) y (cm) t (s) g (m/s2)
1 100 165 0.676 7.22
2 0.527 11.88
3 0.586 9.60
4 0.611 8.84
5 0.623 8.50
6 0.545 11.11
7 0.562 10.45
8 0.532 11.66
9 0.672 7.31
10 0.689 6.96
Average 9.35

Percentage Error: 4.69%

OBJECT 3: BOOK
Trial mass (g) y (cm) t (s) g (m/s2)
1 300 165 0.637 8.13
2 0.549 10.95
3 0.589 9.51
4 0.535 11.53
5 0.658 7.62
6 0.605 9.02
7 0.677 7.20
8 0.591 9.44
9 0.576 9.95
10 0.554 10.75
Average 9.41

Percentage Error: 4.08%

Data Analysis

1. What is the effect of increasing the mass on the experimental value of the acceleration due to
gravity?
The finding indicates that increasing the mass of an object has no impact on its acceleration.
The gravitational acceleration g is independent of the object’s mass and size as well as the
distance.
2. What are the possible sources of errors in the experiment? How can you minimize them?

Possible sources of errors in the experiment to measure acceleration due to gravity include
environmental factors such as air resistance since the experiment is conducted in an open
area, other sources of errors are measurement inaccuracies. To minimize these errors we
should performed the experiment with high accuracy instruments and by following proper
procedures as well.
Documentation
(use extra sheets of short-sized bond paper)

Part I: Measurement of the vertical distance

Part III: Measurement of the time the object reaches the ground

Two pictures per object:

1. picture of the object held at the starting point

2. screenshot from the app showing one t value per object

VOLLEYBALL JOHNSON BABY POWDER

BOOK