Free Fall LabPhysics 131Hasbrook 210September 31st 2015Abstract: In this experiment we used a motion sensor to graph the free fall patterns of a gold ball and a human as they moved underneath the sensor. This experiment is useful is showing the how objects change velocity and acceleration as they time goesby. With the help of the computer program two graphs can be creates (time vs. position, and time vs. velocity) to show the patterns tested by the sensor. Questions1. When observing the position vs. time graph it became apparent that the parabolic curve was facing upward, not downward. The reason for this is because the ball was dropped from a high position above the ground and preceded to move towards the floor due to the force of gravity. The velocity ofthe ball was increasing while it was falling towards the floor and then it began to decrease as it bounced back up, forming this upward parabolic curve shape found in out data. 2. On the graph of velocity vs. time, the slope of the line is a straight lime because the velocity is constant. The ball is moving with a constant velocity ata constant acceleration. 3. The ball is moving upwards as it bounces off the floor. The balls is still in free fall because free fall doesn’t necessarily mean falling, it just means that there are no other forces besides gravity acting upon the ball as it is moving.4. By looking at the time vs. velocity graph we can clearly see that when the graph goes below zero the velocity is negative. This is the point when the ball is at the top of the jump and hitting the floor.5. The moments where the balls velocity is zero is when the ball is changing direction in the air from going up to going down. To be in free fall the ball would have to have no forces except gravity acting upon it. When the balls hits the ground, the normal force from the ground is pushing against the ball and it is not longer in free fall at this moment.6. The difference between the standing position and the position at the top of the sensor was about .2m. This shows how high off the floor she was at the top of her jump.7. The velocity vs. time graph shows free fall at the point where the graph is increasing and where the graph is decreasing. You are in free fall at all times, besides when you change direction at the top of the jump and when you hit the ground.8. According to our graph, the amount of time spent in free fall was about .4 seconds.9. The free fall acceleration does not depend on the mass of the object. The ball and human had very different masses but fell at about the same rate. The rateof acceleration does not depend on the mass of the object, which changes from object to object, but it depends on the force of gravity which remains constant.Conclusion: After conducting this experiment and graphing out the data. We can conclude that the acceleration rates do not change when the mass of the object changes. The force of gravity is constant. Objects free fall as long as no forces except gravity are applied to them. Both graphs for the human jump and the ball drop hadabout the same slope, or acceleration. This showed that the objects moved at about the same