Graphing the Drop of a Ball from 2.0 Meters - An Introductory Free-Fall Acceleration Problem

The lesson begins with a review of a previous experiment involving the drop of a medicine ball. The teacher guides students through graphing acceleration, velocity, and position as functions of time. The acceleration is constant, resulting in a horizontal line on the graph. The velocity graph is a straight line with a negative slope, and the position graph shows a curve with an increasingly negative slope. The lesson concludes with a review of these concepts.

What was the initial velocity of the medicine ball when it was dropped?

• -9.81 m/s

• 0 m/s

• 2.0 m/s

• 6.3 m/s

What is the shape of the acceleration vs. time graph for the falling ball?

• A vertical line

• A diagonal line

• A horizontal line

• A curved line

What is the slope of the velocity vs. time graph for the falling ball?

• 0 m/s²

• -9.81 m/s²

• 6.3 m/s²

• 9.81 m/s²

At what time does the ball reach the ground?

• 0.64 seconds

• 2.0 seconds

• 0.32 seconds

• 1.28 seconds

How does the slope of the position vs. time graph change over time?

• It remains constant

• It becomes more positive

• It becomes more negative

• It becomes zero