Fall of a ball down an inclined plane

Support
ofiron
2m

Sliding track
Nut Tongs
1.5 m

Wooden ball
1m

Laboratory table
Wooden taco

Fig. 9.

Objective:
We will check that if a wooden ball is dropped down an inclined plane, it
it descends at an increasing speed and with a constant acceleration. That is to say, it is about
uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion.
Remember that the position-time equation of uniformly accelerated linear motion is:

1
x = x0+ v0∙ t - a ∙ t2
2
1
Asx0= 0and the ball falls without initial velocity (v0= 0), the equation becomes:x = a ∙ t2. From
2
2x
here it is deduced:a =
t2

Materials:
• Two wooden balls of different masses.
• Iron support provided with clamp and nut.
• 2 m long metal track.
• Wooden taco.
• Stopwatch.

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 Processes:
1. Mark the distances on the lane:1 m, 1.5 m 7. Follow the same procedure and release.
y2 m. the ball from the marks of 1.5 m and 1 m.
Record the falling times and calculate it.
2. Prepare the assembly that appears in the image.
arithmetic mean.
To do this, attach the clamp about 28 cm from
height relative to the table. 8. Complete the table with the values of t2 and of
the acceleration.
Drop one of the two balls (without throwing it)
from the point of the lane with the mark of 9. With the data from the table, represent the graph-
2 m. At the same moment you let it go, firm x-t2.
start the stopwatch.
10. Repeat the process using the other ball and
[Link] the stopwatch exactly when the check if the times are different.
ball hit the wooden stick located at
11. Vary the tilt angle of the track.
end of the lane. Record the elapsed time,
For this, you can set the clamp to 32 cm.
indicating up to tenths of a second.
It is 36 cm high from the table.
5. Repeat the experiment four more times and Re-do the test and check.
note the corresponding times. if the acceleration changes.
[Link] the arithmetic mean of the times
of fall.

Fall time (s)

Accelerationm/s2)
Tourm) Average timet(s) t2(s2)
2x
a= 2
t1 t2 t3 t4 t5 t
2.0

1.5

1.0

Table 12.

Questions:
What condition is required for a motion to be uniformly accelerated?
Justify why the ball's falling motion is a uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion.

• Describe the shape of the graph.x - t2Does it correspond to a uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion? Why?
Does the mass of the ball influence the acceleration? How?
• Reason what would happen to the acceleration if you repeated the experiment, but each time increasing the
angle of inclination of the rail until it is almost vertical.

• Relate these tests to the experiments of Galileo Galilei on free fall. Indicate the acceleration.
The acceleration in free fall depends on the mass of the body.

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