Preview

Conservation of Energy Lab

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1537 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Conservation of Energy Lab
FREE FALL AND CONSERVATION OF MECHANICAL ENERGY

ABSTRACT
Free fall is defined as the ideal falling motion of an object that is subject only to the earth’s gravitational field. To prove the law of conservation of energy, the free fall motion of an object can be represented through 3 different analyses; position of the object vs. time, velocity of the object vs. time, and acceleration of the object vs. time. It is observed in this ball toss experiment, at any point during the free fall period, the system contains the same total amount of mechanical energy. This amount is the sum of kinetic and gravitational potential energy.

FREE FALL AND THE CONSERVATION OF ENERGY
The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy remains constant in an isolated system – energy can neither be created or destroyed, but can change from one form to another. In this analysis, a ball is thrown above a motion sensor and data is collected for distribution into 3 graphs; position of the ball vs. time, velocity of the ball vs. time, and acceleration of the ball vs. time. The purpose is to prove the law of conservation of energy during this free fall of the object. It should be understood that to prove this law, the experimental value of ‘g’ (for gravity) as solved in x=v₀t+½gt² should be comparable to the gravitational constant of 9.8 m/s². The law of conservation of energy relates to real-life situations, such as when a tennis ball goes from hitting one racquet to another, or when a construction crane swings a wrecking ball into a building. The total energy in these systems remains constant, even though it seems energy is “lost” – in which it is not lost, but changed from kinetic to potential or vice versa.

METHOD
Materials:
* Computer (MAC OS) - Vernier Computer Interface - LoggerPro Software * Vernier Motion Detector - Basketball
Procedure
1. Connected the Vernier Motion Detector to the DIG/SONIC I channel of the interface, and set the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Overview: In this lab, we will test balls made of various materials. The matter that composes the ball must store energy on impact and then release the energy in a way that allows elastic recoil, or bounce. In addition to elasticity, there is also a relationship between the height from which the ball is dropped and the height of the bounce. We will measure and graph the relationship of those two variables.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This experiment was to use kinetics of projectile motion and free falling bodies to determine the distance a ball will travel after it hits a bounce plate. To determine this we had to use the equations x=(1/2)at2 and v=v0+at and derive an equation that will determine the distance the ball will travel based on the height of the bounce plate and the height of where the ball will be dropped above the bounce plate. The equation made was g*(sqrt(2)/sqrt(g))*(sqrt(H)*sqrt(h)). From here we can make an estimate of how far the ball will travel after it hits the bounce plate.…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Me Like

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages

    2. Consider the concepts of kinetic energy (KE) and gravitational potential energy (GPE) as you complete these questions. A ball is held 1.4 meters above the floor. Use the terms KE of GPE as your answers. A. When the ball is held motionless above the floor, the ball possesses only gravitational potential energy. B. If the ball is dropped, its gravitational potential energy decreases as it falls. C. If the ball is dropped, its kinetic energy increases as it falls. D. In fact, in the absence of air resistance, the amount of gravitational potential energy when the ball is held motionless above the floor equals the amount of kinetic energy at impact with the floor.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Lab Report

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Potential and Kinetic energy have a very big relationship. The Law of Conservation of Energy states that “Energy cannot be destroyed or created, but can be transformed or transferred.” This lab will help demonstrate this law and show the conversion between Kinetic and Potential energy throughout the rollercoaster process.…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    When a ball is thrown to to the floor, gravity pulls downward on the ball but while it is on the move, kinetic energy is at work. When the energy-driven ball hits the floor,…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Soccer has become an important part of the culture in America. Recently, the Women’s National Soccer team even won one of the biggest honors possible, the World Cup. People play and watch soccer games all of the time and yet few people actually realize the physics that are involved in almost everything that they see or do. While there are multiple ways that physics is used in a soccer game, this paper explores three parts and the physics that are involved in each one. The three parts that are going to be discussed are passing, heading, and throw-ins. These three can explain how physics can work from a soccer ball coming or going in each and every direction. Also, every part that is discussed uses different parts of the body. This can go to…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physical Science Lab #5

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In this experiment we positioned a marble ball on a wooden roller coaster positioned on a physics stand in the sixth hole. Throughout the experiment, we used an electronic timer to record the time of the marble where it passed through the light beam of its clamp. We positioned the clamp at a certain point on the roller coaster and measured the distance from the marble to the clamp; the height of the clamp; and finally the time the ball traveled through the clamp. After we recorded these different figures we calculated the speed of the marble from the given distance traveled and the time. We repeated the step 14 times, then proceeded to graph the speed and the height. Next, we took the measurements of position of the clamp, height, and speed and calculated the potential energy, the kinetic energy, and the total energy. Total energy calculated as mentioned before. Potential energy is taking the mass (m) which is 28.1g times gravity (g) which is 9.8 m/s2 times the height. Kinetic energy is one-half times the mass (m) times velocity (v2). Finally we graphed the…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Doppler Effect

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages

    2. Set Source speed to 1.0 cm/s. Move the detector by dragging it from the left side of the screen onto the grid; place it on the right side of the grid, directly opposite the wave source. Set Wave speed to 5.0 cm/s. Select a Source frequency. Record this frequency in Table 1.…

    • 1047 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In this investigation, the initial height of which a basketball is dropped will be altered in order to increase or decrease the fractional loss of kinetic energy within 3 bounces. The ball will rebound higher if it is dropped from a higher height than a lower height, as a result of the amount of gravitational potential energy, dependent on height above ground, converting into kinetic energy during the fall. However, kinetic energy is lost upon collision. It is possible that the same amount of energy is…

    • 2879 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Another physics concept that I will talk about is conservation of energy. This means that when you kick the ball your energy is being transferred…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In this lab, we shall be studying the coefficient of restitution of a superball. The coefficient of restitution, COR, is the ratio of the bounce-back velocity to the original velocity of an object undergoing impact (such as a ball impacting the ground after being dropped from an initial height). Using the principle of the conservation of energy, the COR can be used to relate the bounce-back height to the original height of a ball dropped from rest. In fact, this ratio is equal to the square of the COR. Mathematically, if a ball is dropped from a height h(0), and bounces back to a height h(1), then:…

    • 1195 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Bungee Physics

    • 3416 Words
    • 14 Pages

    References: Conservation of Energy. Available: http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/staff/trobinso/physicspa ges/PhysOf99/Bungee-Lam/page2.htm. Menz, P.G. (1993). The physics of bungee jumping. The Physics Teacher, 31.…

    • 3416 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Physics of Sports

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One of the best (and most fun) ways to explore physics and how it relates to the real-world is through sports. Every sport utilizes multiple physics principles. For this project you will chose a sport and study the physics principles involved. The sport you choose must be an actual sport, not a computer simulation or animation You will create a short PowerPoint presentation (5 slides max) summarizing your project. The following outline is designed to walk you though what you need to include in your project presentation. You will get more out of this project if you pick a sport you play or are interested in. And who knows, it may even improve your game!…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Work, Power and Energy

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Work, Power, and Energy are three words that are commonly used in a man’s existence. Work refers to an activity involving a force and movement in the direction of the force. Energy is the ability to do work. Power is the rate of doing work or the rate of using energy. This experiment was designed to demonstrate the conservation of mechanical energy, to measure change in kinetic and potential energies as a ball moves in free fall and to determine power output when going up and down the stairs.…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Conclusion: The energy of motion from the bigger ball is transferred into the smaller one, allowing it to bounce higher than the larger ball. The analysis shows that the golf ball bounces significantly higher off of both the volleyball and the basketball. Due to Newton’s first law, The larger balls transferred more force into the smaller top balls because an object in motion stays in motion. The hypothesis was supported based on the experiment, stated above, using Newton’s first law.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays