Physics 105, Fall Term, 2009
Reading: Chapter 3.3
Did you complete the reading assignment? Yes No
1) All objects in free fall at the surface of the earth experience a constant acceleration of -9.8 m/s2 when neglecting air resistance.
Free-fall for most people is intuitive because we experience it every day in our lives, so just a short activity on the reading quiz today.
Open the applet at: http://physci.kennesaw.edu/physlets/freefall/freefall00.html. All you need to do is press 'play' and watch. The applet will leave marks of where the ball is located at every 0.1 seconds that passes as the ball falls.
How does the distance interval change for each 0.1 second interval as the ball drops?
Increases Decreases Stays the same
How does the magnitude of the velocity of the ball change as the ball drops?
How does the magnitude of the acceleration of the ball change as the ball drops?
How would the applet change if you greatly increased the mass of the ball?
It would not change. The mass of an object does not determine its free fall acceleration.
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