In this study, a simple Arduino-based experiment was designed to examine the acceleration of the object during free fall and to calculate the value of “g” (acceleration due to gravity). Experimental data on the free fall of a plastic box through the air was gathered with the help of an ultrasonic distance sensor (HC-SR04). Readings were taken at different intervals during the fall to obtain distance time curves. Acceleration during the free fall was then determined by applying the standard kinematic equations. The shape of the distance-time graphs obtained from the experimental setup was in good agreement with the predicted graphs and the calculated values of g lie within the expected range. After repeated experiments, value of gravitational acceleration was found to be 9.805 m/s2. Hardware and software prepared for the experiment are sufficient to examine movement of ordinary objects during free fall, therefore the experiment can be easily settled in a laboratory for the purpose of learning and teaching.
References
[1]
Liu, C.-Y., Wu, C.-J., Wong, W.-K., Lien, Y.-W. and Chao, T.-K. (2017) Scientific Modelling with Mobile Devices in High School Physics Labs. Computers & Education, 105, 44-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2016.11.004
[2]
Chen, S.F., Lo, H.-C., Lin, J.-W., Liang, J.-C., Chang, H.-Y., et al. (2012) Development and Implications of Technology in Reform Based Physics Laboratories. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 8, 020113. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevSTPER.8.020113
[3]
Sari, U. (2019) Using the Arduino for the Experimental Determination of a Friction Coefficient by Movement on an Inclined Plane. Physics Education, 54, 035010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6552/ab0919
[4]
Halliday, D., Resnick, R. and Walker, J. (2013) Fundamentals of Physics. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken.
[5]
Serway, R.A. and Jewett, J.W. (2018) Physics for Scientists and Engineers. Cengage Learning.
[6]
Schulz, N.S. (2007) From Dust to Stars: Studies of the Formation and Early Evolution of Stars. Springer Science & Business Media.
[7]
Figer, D.F. (2003) Massive Stars and the Creation of Our Galactic Center. Symposium-International Astronomical Union, Cambridge University Press, 487-496. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0074180900212680
