Overview
1. Print or sketch the three motion graphs. The graphs you have recorded are fairly complex and it is important to identify different regions of each graph. Click Examine, , and move the mouse across any graph to answer the following questions. Record your answers directly on the printed or sketched graphs.
a. Identify the region when the ball was being tossed but still in your hands:
Examine the velocity vs. time graph and identify this region. Label this on the graph. Examine the acceleration vs. time graph and identify the same region. Label the graph.
b. Identify the region where the ball is in free fall:
Label the region on each graph where the ball was in free fall and moving upward.
Label the region on each graph where the ball was in free fall and moving downward.
c. Determine the position, velocity, and acceleration at specific points.
On the velocity vs. time graph, decide where the ball had its maximum velocity, just as the ball was released. Mark the spot and record the value on the graph.
On the position vs. time graph, locate the maximum height of the ball during free fall. 14
Mark the spot and record the value on the graph. What was the velocity of the ball at the top of its motion? What was the acceleration of the ball at the top of its motion?
What does a linear segment of a velocity vs. time graph indicate? What is the significance of the slope of that linear segment?
The graph of velocity vs. time should be linear. To fit a line to this data, click and drag the mouse across the free-fall region of the motion. Click Linear Fit, .
How closely does the coefficient of the t term in the fit compare to the accepted value for g?
The graph of acceleration vs. time should appear to be more or less constant. Click and drag the mouse across the free-fall section of the motion and click Statistics, .
How closely does the mean acceleration compare to the values of g found in Step4?