Acceleration due to Gravity

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Additional information

Useful websites

1. The Value of "g". This is a good resource to study the variation of “g” at various distances above the Earth's atmosphere.
2. This article examines the Galileo experiment and discusses if there are other possible explanations.

Teaching Outlines

1. Gravitational force due to the Earth produces an acceleration in the objects. This is the force acting on a freely falling object.
2. The value of acceleration is not dependent on the mass.
3. All freely falling bodies gain same acceleration.

Concept #1 - Gravitational force due to the Earth produces an acceleration

Learning objectives

1. To understand what causes an object to fall - the force and the acceleration
2. Calculating the value of "g"

Notes for teachers

These are short notes that the teacher wants to share about the concept, any locally relevant information, specific instructions on what kind of methodology used and common misconceptions/mistakes.

Free fall and acceleration due to gravity

A freely falling body undergoes acceleration. This acceleration is caused by the gravitational force exerted by the larger mass of the Earth. This is referred to as acceleration due to gravity. The Earth also undergoes an acceleration due to the gravitational force exerted by the object. We do not notice it because of the mass of the Earth. This is represented by "g" and has the value of 9.8 m/s^2.

For further details and derivation click here.

Activity No #1 – Observe a freely falling body

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• Estimated Time - 30 minutes
• Materials/ Resources needed
• Prerequisites/Instructions, if any

1. Good quality clock with high precision of measurement
2. This experiment will be difficult to measure

• Multimedia resources
• Website interactives/ links/ simulations
• Process (How to do the activity)
  

1. Ask a child to drop a piece of chalk from terrace
2. Start the stop clock as soon as the child drops it.
3. Put off the clock as soon as the chalk touches the ground, note down the time taken
4. Repeat the same expt with a stone,& calculate the time

• Developmental Questions (What discussion questions)

1. What was the time taken?
2. Was it the same?
3. Why would it be so?
4. Do the students relate it to the equations of motion they have studied?

Evaluation (Questions for assessment of the child)

• Question Corner

Activity No #2 - Freely falling Object

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• Estimated Time - 30 minutes
• Materials/ Resources needed - Projector
• Prerequisites/Instructions, if any
• Multimedia resources

Image:

The image on the side, spanning half a second, was captured with a stroboscopic flash at 20 flashes per second. During the first 1⁄20 of a second the ball drops one unit of distance (here, a unit is about 12 mm); by 2⁄20 it has dropped at total of 4 units; by 3⁄20, 9 units and so on. Check here for a more detailed description.

• Website interactives/ links/ simulations
• Process (How to do the activity)

1. Project the picture for the class and discuss the following questions

• Developmental Questions (What discussion questions)

1. Where is the ball at time = 0?
2. In the first (1/20)th of a second, what is the distance travelled by ball?
3. In the second (1/20)th of a second, what is the distance travelled by ball?
4. How does the distance fallen increase with time?
5. What can you say about the motion?

• Evaluation (Questions for assessment of the child)
• Question Corner

Will the ball also attract the Earth and produce an acceleration?

Concept #

Notes for teachers

These are short notes that the teacher wants to share about the concept, any locally relevant information, specific instructions on what kind of methodology used and common misconceptions/mistakes.

Activity No #

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• Estimated Time
• Materials/ Resources needed
• Prerequisites/Instructions, if any
• Multimedia resources
• Website interactives/ links/ simulations
• Process (How to do the activity)
• Developmental Questions (What discussion questions)
• Evaluation (Questions for assessment of the child)
• Question Corner

Activity No #

Click to Comment

• Estimated Time
• Materials/ Resources needed
• Prerequisites/Instructions, if any
• Multimedia resources
• Website interactives/ links/ simulations
• Process (How to do the activity)
• Developmental Questions (What discussion questions)
• Evaluation (Questions for assessment of the child)
• Question Corner

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