A student is testing the kinematic equations for uniformly accelerated motion by measuring the time it takes for light-weight plastic balls to fall to the floor from a height of 3 m in the lab. The student predicts the time to fall using g as 9.8 m/s^2 but finds the measured time to be 35 % greater. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the large percent error?
a) the acceleration due to gravity is 70% greater than 9.8m/s^2 at this location
b) the acceleration due to gravity is 70% less than 9.8 m/s^2 at this location
c) Air resistance increases the downward acceleration
d) the acceleration of the plastic balls is not uniform
e)the plastic balls are not truelly spherical.
Well I think e) could be true but a bit unlikely. I think that d) would be wrong because 9.8m/s^2 is constant. So it leaves either a) or b). I believe it’s b) since it would take longer for an object to fall it acceleration is less.
The only answer that makes any sense is (d). The downward acceleration decreases as air resistance increases.
Air resistance DEcreases the downward acceleration. The part of the acceleration that is due to gravity does not change.
I agree.
To determine the most likely cause of the large percent error, let's analyze the options given:
a) The acceleration due to gravity is 70% greater than 9.8m/s^2 at this location.
b) The acceleration due to gravity is 70% less than 9.8m/s^2 at this location.
c) Air resistance increases the downward acceleration.
d) The acceleration of the plastic balls is not uniform.
e) The plastic balls are not truly spherical.
First, let's eliminate options c) and e) as they are not relevant to this problem. Air resistance would actually decrease the downward acceleration and the shape of the plastic balls would not have a significant effect on the measured time.
Next, let's analyze options a) and b). If the acceleration due to gravity was greater than 9.8m/s^2, the plastic ball would fall faster and take less time to reach the floor. On the other hand, if the acceleration due to gravity was less than 9.8m/s^2, the plastic ball would fall slower and take more time to reach the floor.
Given that the measured time is 35% greater than the predicted time using g as 9.8m/s^2, this suggests that the plastic balls are taking longer to fall. Therefore, the most likely cause of the large percent error is that the acceleration due to gravity is 70% less than 9.8m/s^2 at this location, leading to a slower fall and longer measured time.
Hence, the correct answer is option b) - the acceleration due to gravity is 70% less than 9.8m/s^2 at this location.
I'm sorry, but your reasoning is incorrect. The correct answer is actually (c) - air resistance increases the downward acceleration.
When an object falls through the air, it experiences air resistance, which is a force that opposes its motion. The presence of air resistance affects the acceleration of the object, making it less than the acceleration due to gravity alone.
In this case, if the measured time for the plastic balls to fall is 35% greater than the predicted time, it suggests that the balls are experiencing more air resistance than anticipated. This increased air resistance slows down the balls' descent, resulting in a longer time for them to reach the floor.
Therefore, the most likely cause of the large percent error is the increased air resistance, as stated in option (c).