I was watching my husband, Rob’s, Physics class today while he helped several of my Chem teens with spreadsheets. Rob’s using Ruler Reflex and Dropping the Ball to derive the acceleration owing to gravity.
I’ve done both of these labs with younger students. Both are fun! Younger students could use Falling Objects to determine free fall. We use marbles, tennis balls, ping pong balls, etc. Test reaction times with meter sticks and 30 cm rulers. Rob is using the labs described in Take Home Physics.
Measure a two meter height and mark the position with a bit of tape. Stand on a sturdy chair or stool to drop the ball from the same spot. Repeat the drop ten times. You may want to drop the ball or marble into an aluminum pie plate in order to hear the ball land.
Some eighth graders can derive acceleration algebraically and can calculate the percent error using the acceleration owing to gravity, 9.8 m/s2. I’ve had other student invest an hour dropping and timing balls with different masses because they couldn’t accept the idea that the objects would accelerate at the same rate—gravity. The kids still learn a great deal. Home Science Tools has these Mass and Weight Science Projects, too. Have fun!
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