Free Fall Mini Labs (Video Analysis)

Series of labs using video analysis to study the nature of free fall and calculate unknowns using the acceleration due to gravity

Free Fall Mini Labs - Video Analysis (pdf)
File Size:	441 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Free Fall Mini Labs - Video Analysis (editable)
File Size:	615 kb
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Tik Tok Cliff Dive (with Timer)

Bowling Ball Drop (with Timer)

47-Inch Vertical (with Timer)

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Note: a previous version of this lab used an app called "Hudl Technique" to add a stopwatch feature to the videos so that students could easily time events that happen in the videos. Unfortunately, since that version was uploaded, the app has been acquired by another company and it is no longer free. If you have access to another tool that can time directly and don't need the added stopwatch, the original lab and video can be found here:

Free Fall Mini Labs with Hudl (pdf)
File Size:	450 kb
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Free Fall Mini Labs with Hudl (editable)
File Size:	677 kb
File Type:	docx

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Tik Tok Cliff Dive
File Size:	1861 kb
File Type:	mp4

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Bowling Ball Ladder Drop
File Size:	6449 kb
File Type:	mov

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47.1-Inch Vertical Jump
File Size:	2884 kb
File Type:	mp4

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Finding the Time

One key variable that's useful to measure precisely and accurately is time. To make this job a little easier, the videos in this lab have been edited to include a stopwatch as well as a slow motion repeat to make it easier to scroll and pause at the right times.
 
If you have access to a tool that allows you to capture time from a video, see the files above for a version without the embedded stopwatch.

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Part 1: Tik Tok Cliff Dive

​During the summer of 2020, this clip went viral on the video sharing app Tik Tok. People were astonished by how this cliff diver seems to fall forever before hitting the water.

Your Task:
​Determine the height of the cliff

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Part 2: Bowling Ball Drop

​A totally normal physics teacher hobby is dropping heavy things from high places Luckily, only the bowling ball experienced free fall in the making of this video.

Your Task:
​Plot the position of the bowling ball over time

For this video, you will want to zero the time at the moment that the ball is released and then record the time stamp at several different positions as it falls. It is dropped from a height of 4.68 meters and the measurement of the house’s siding is shown in the photo on the right. (click to enlarge) Assume that the ground is a position of zero. 

​Use the video to collect some data and graph the points below ↓

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Part 3: Bowling Ball Impact

​Now that you’ve watched this bowling ball smack the ground so close to the house, you should be wondering, how fast did it hit??

Your Task: 
​Calculate the impact velocity of the bowling ball

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Part 4: Air Time

Some athletes have some pretty impressive hops. If we know how high they jump, we should also be able to figure out how long they are airborne.

Your Task:
Calculate the total air time for Josh Imatorbhebhe

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Click Here for More Labs

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