Background/History
Galileo Galilei an astronomer and physicist was born on February 15, 1564 in Pisa, Italy famous for his physics and astronomical contribution. He was the first to use a refracting telescope and discovered the moons of the Jupiter and the phases of Venus. He also stated the “law of falling bodies which is that a vacuum of all bodies, regardless of their weight, shape, or specific gravity, are uniformly accelerated in exactly the same way, and that the distance fallen is proportional to the square of the elapsed time” (i.e. m/s^2) (On Motion).
Hypothesis
In this experiment we are going to prove Galileo’s experiment in showing that a given distance was proportional to the square of the time.
Materials
A piece of aluminum channel used as a ramp
Steel ball
Stopwatch
Book
Meter stick
Procedures
1. Place the ramp on top of the book to have a inclined plane.
2.Measure and mark it in 0.2 m, 0.4m, 0.5m, 0.6m and 0.8m.
3. Drop the metal ball for 3 trails each distance
4. Record in a table
5. Calculate the average time
6. Create a graph
Data
Conclusion
Galileo’s theory was indeed correct as can be seen in the graph and table above; the distance is proportional to time squared. The results of the table and graph are not entirely perfect, because of its difficult to stop the stopwatch exactly when the ball hit the ground, seen in the 0.4m and 0.5m times. To have a more accurate measurement we could have use a motion detector and connected to a stopwatch to have a closer measurement of the times.
Sources
Mr. Wright’s lab sheet
