Marble Velocity Experiment
Purpose
The reason for this experiment is to prove that objects of different masses, when dropped from the same height, fall at the same velocity.
Apparatus
- 2 Marbles of different mass, one steel and one nylon
- Dropping Mechanism with a lever to hold the marble and pull for drop
- Bee Spi (measures velocity in kilometers per hour.)
- Box to catch the marble on the way down
Procedure
The dropping mechanism was set up, with the BeeSpi attached to it at 26.5” from the lever that drops it so that the marble would fall through it, therefore recording the velocity in km/h. There was also a box at the bottom of the mechanism to catch the marble every time it was dropped. Both the steel and the nylon marble were placed in the lever at …show more content…
the top of the dropping mechanism and dropped 5 times each, and the velocity was recorded for each time.
Data
Velocity in km/h
Steel Marble Nylon Marble

Evaluation of Data
Each marbles’ velocity was averaged.
The steel marble’s average came to 13.203 km/h, while the nylon marble’s came to 12.974 km/h. In order to get the units in more familiar terms, a TI-84 graphing calculator was used to convert the units from km/h to m/s. After doing that, the steel marble’s average velocity was 3.67 m/s, while the nylon marble’s was 3.603 m/s.
Also, by using Google Earth, the average gravity of the room in which the experiment occurred was found to be -9.79788 m/s2 , while the MSL(mear sea level), otherwise known as elevation, was found to be 823 ft.
Conclusion
The results of this experiment were very close to being accurate. The difference of the average velocities was only 0.067m/s. There are many reasons that that difference occurs. First of all, the experiment wasn’t taken place in an airtight vacuum, therefore air resistance played a part in it. If the air conditioner was on for one part of the test, and off for another, the data would be completely different. Also, the friction between the lever and marble could have been different each time; it’s subject to human error. From this experiment you can’t really perfectly prove that objects of different masses are dropped at the same velocity because of the independent variables, but you can assume that if it were performed in an airtight vacuum with no outside factors involved, that it would in fact prove the relationship between mass and
velocity.
The reason for this experiment is to prove that objects of different masses, when dropped from the same height, fall at the same velocity.
Apparatus
- 2 Marbles of different mass, one steel and one nylon
- Dropping Mechanism with a lever to hold the marble and pull for drop
- Bee Spi (measures velocity in kilometers per hour.)
- Box to catch the marble on the way down
Procedure
The dropping mechanism was set up, with the BeeSpi attached to it at 26.5” from the lever that drops it so that the marble would fall through it, therefore recording the velocity in km/h. There was also a box at the bottom of the mechanism to catch the marble every time it was dropped. Both the steel and the nylon marble were placed in the lever at …show more content…
the top of the dropping mechanism and dropped 5 times each, and the velocity was recorded for each time.
Data
Velocity in km/h
Steel Marble Nylon Marble

Evaluation of Data
Each marbles’ velocity was averaged.
The steel marble’s average came to 13.203 km/h, while the nylon marble’s came to 12.974 km/h. In order to get the units in more familiar terms, a TI-84 graphing calculator was used to convert the units from km/h to m/s. After doing that, the steel marble’s average velocity was 3.67 m/s, while the nylon marble’s was 3.603 m/s.
Also, by using Google Earth, the average gravity of the room in which the experiment occurred was found to be -9.79788 m/s2 , while the MSL(mear sea level), otherwise known as elevation, was found to be 823 ft.
Conclusion
The results of this experiment were very close to being accurate. The difference of the average velocities was only 0.067m/s. There are many reasons that that difference occurs. First of all, the experiment wasn’t taken place in an airtight vacuum, therefore air resistance played a part in it. If the air conditioner was on for one part of the test, and off for another, the data would be completely different. Also, the friction between the lever and marble could have been different each time; it’s subject to human error. From this experiment you can’t really perfectly prove that objects of different masses are dropped at the same velocity because of the independent variables, but you can assume that if it were performed in an airtight vacuum with no outside factors involved, that it would in fact prove the relationship between mass and
velocity.