Scribd
Upload
6 views4 pages

Measure Gravity Using Marble Projectile Motion

The aim of the experiment was to measure the acceleration due to gravity (g) by analyzing the projectile motion of a marble. Using a mobile phone camera and video tracking software, the marble's vertical position was recorded and converted into real-world distances, allowing for the calculation of the gradient of the velocity-time graph. The final result for g was approximately 9.9 m/s², which is close to the accepted value of 9.81 m/s².

Uploaded by

Raahil
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
6 views4 pages

Measure Gravity Using Marble Projectile Motion

The aim of the experiment was to measure the acceleration due to gravity (g) by analyzing the projectile motion of a marble. Using a mobile phone camera and video tracking software, the marble's vertical position was recorded and converted into real-world distances, allowing for the calculation of the gradient of the velocity-time graph. The final result for g was approximately 9.9 m/s², which is close to the accepted value of 9.81 m/s².

Uploaded by

Raahil
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Aim

To measure the acceleration due to gravity (𝑔) by recording and analysing the
projectile motion of a marble and calculating the gradient of the velocity time
graph.

Apparatus:
 Marble
 Graph paper (each square = 6 mm) fixed vertically as a background scale
 Mobile phone camera (30 frames per second)
 Computer with spreadsheet and video tracking software (JavaLab)

Method:
1. A sheet of graph paper was fixed vertically to provide a clear scale in the
background of the video.
2. A marble was projected vertically in front of the graph paper and recorded
using a mobile phone camera operating at 30 fps.
3. The recorded video was analysed frame by frame in JavaLab, which tracked
the marble’s position.
4. The software generated numerical data for the marble’s position with respect
to time. Both horizontal (x) and vertical (y) components were recorded, but
only the y-component was analysed since vertical motion is affected by

gravity.
5. The background scale was used for calibration. The vertical span of the graph
paper visible in the video was: 34 units×6 mm per unit = 204 mm = 0.204 m
6. This conversion factor was applied to convert the software’s position values
into real-world distances (metres).
7. The velocity–time graph of the y-component was plotted. The gradient of this
graph gives the vertical acceleration, which should equal g.

Calculation
1. Raw Gradient (from software):
Gradient = 48.591 (in software velocity units per second)
2. Convert to real-world scale:
The visible vertical span of the graph paper in the video = 34 units
Each unit = 6 mm = 0.006 m
So total span = 34 × 0.006 = 0.204 m
This 0.204 m corresponds to the full scale used in the software.
3. Applying the scale to the gradient:
Gradient = 48.591 × (0.204 / 1) = 9.9 m/s²
(Here the factor 0.204 converts the software scale into real distance. The time
interval cancels out, so only the length scaling matters.)
4. Final Result:
g ≈ 9.9 m/s²
This value is very close to the accepted value of g = 9.81 m/s².

You might also like