Question

Think back to the labs in which you measured the acceleration due to gravity acting on objects in free-fall. You released objects from rest at a certain height and measured the time it took to fall to the ground. Use what you now know about energy and momentum to analyze the same system using a different model.

What energy is internal to the system (the ball in free-fall)? Is any work injected or removed from the system during free-fall? What happens to the ball in free-fall after it collides with the floor? Describe the ball’s motion after the collision. Where does the energy go during this collision?

How much total energy and momentum are in the system prior to the collision with the ground? (There are a couple of ways to figure these out)

Answer 1