Physics Simulation
Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration
In the session long projects for this class, you will be asked to conduct experiments in a "virtual" laboratory.
We will use the falling-ball simulation (Background: University of Oregon, n.d.) to calculate the acceleration of gravity on the Earth, Moon, and Mars.
The most general equation for displacement is a = s0 + V0t + (1/2)at2
where's = displacement after time t s0 = initial displacement (location at t = 0)
V0 = initial velocity (velocity at t = 0)
t = elapsed time in seconds
a = acceleration in m/s2
If the object starts at point s0 = 0 with initial velocity V0 = 0, then the equation becomes
s = (1/2)at2
Solving for a in terms of s and t, we get a = 2s/t2
For a freely falling object in a vacuum, a is the acceleration of gravity, g. If we record the time required for an object to fall a distance s in a time t, we can solve for g. Using the simulation, record the time required for the ball to fall 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 meters. Organize your results in a table, as follows (the first row has been completed for you). Round numbers to the nearest two decimals.
Earth
S (distance, m)
t (time, s)
2s
t2
(2s/t2)=g
1
.44
2
.19
10.33
2
.63
4
.40
10.00
3
.77
6
.59
9
10.17
4
.89
8
.79
10.13
5
1.00
10
1.00
10.00
6
1.10
12
1.21
9.92
Moon
S (distance, m)
t (time, s)
2s
t2
(2s/t2)=g
1
1.10
2
1.21
1.65
2
1.56
4
2.43
1.65
3
1.92
6
3.69
1.63
4
2.21
8
4.88
1.64
5
2.48
10
6.15
1.63
6
2.71
12
7.34
1.63
Mars
S (distance, m)
t (time, s)
2s
t2
(2s/t2)=g
1
.73
2
.53
3.77
2
1.03
4
1.06
3.77
3
1.27
6
1.61
3.73
4
1.44
8
2.07
3.86
5
1.64
10
2.69
3.72
6
1.80
12
3.24
3.70
Answer the following questions.
Why are all the number in the last column…
