We all know that the theory of gravity is associated with Sir Isaac Newton. Some of us even believe that Newton developed the theory after being hit off the head with a falling apple. Whether that's true or not, we do know, however, that Newton owes Galileo a debt of thanks for having laid the foundation for his theory.
It was Galileo who demonstrated that the rate of descent in falling objects was not in proportion to the weight of the object. Up to that time, scientists had generally accepted Aristotle's theory of motion. It was Aristotle's belief that force could only be applied by contact, force at a distance being impossible, and a constant force was required to maintain a body in uniform motion.
Try the lab experiment on the right and see if Galileo was correct.
This next lab
project helps you to better understand Newton's laws of gravity. It involves
water, rockets, and lots of fun!
Water Rocket Lab I and Water Rocket Lab II
Now, run the following applet and graph your results.
Now, what if the force of gravity is not the
same as Earth's? What happens if there is no gravity? Can objects
"fall" and, if so, do they fall faster or slower? If you're intrigued by the
possibilities, here is an experiment that you can do on-line without even walking into a
lab!
Click here and participate in this lab found
on the University of Oregon Department of Physics site.
Found at http://jersey.uoregon.edu/vlab/index.html