Measurement of Gravity by Applying Newton's Laws of Motion to Moving Objects

Overview

Objectives/Goals This study performed a simple experiment to determine the magnitude of the earth's gravitational acceleration. Methods/Materials The motions of a basketball, a tennis ball, and a marble along a slightly tilted table were observed and the time of travel over a specific distance was recorded. The effect of friction along the surface of the table was calibrated out by rolling the objects both downward and upward. Results This approach invokes only a small fraction of the gravity, resulting in a relatively longer time of travel and better accuracy than that of a free falling object at comparable distance. By applying Newton's laws of motion to the data, the averaged gravitational acceleration was calculated to be 9.43 m/s2. Conclusions/Discussion The gravitational acceleration measured by the experiment is in fairly good agreement (3.8% error)with the true value of 9.8 m/s2. A simple idea and associated experiment can produce reasonably accurate results by utilizing the relevant theory and selecting the appropriate approach.

Competition history

• CSEF 2007 Physics & Astronomy · Entry J1616

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