Einstein's Birthday Present

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 Code Number :   1G20.38 

Disclaimer:

Reprinted by permission of Dick Berg, University of Maryland, for use on this website.

The demonstrations contained and referenced herein are listed for the purposes of cataloging and describing physics demonstrations which should be conducted only under the direction of a trained instructional support professional or physicist. These demonstrations are not presented for the purpose of being conducted by persons unconnected to this Facility and/or persons not consulting with or being supervised by the recognized instructional support professional or physicist and his/her staff. The University is responsible only for those demonstrations carried out using its own equipment using established safety and scheduling policies, and bears no responsibility for those choosing to use this source material for their own purposes. All demonstrations described and contained herein are public domain, and can also be found in reference materials in libraries, bookstores, and electronic sources.

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Condition :   Good  
Principle :   Gravitational Acceleration and Freefall.
Area of Study :  Mechanics   
Equipment :   Plexiglass cup on pole apparatus.

 

Procedure :   Hang the ball outside the cup and lift as high in the air as you can while holding on to the end of the handle.  Note that the spring can not pull the ball back into the cup due to the influence of gravity.  Drop the apparatus and catch it below the cup before it hits the ground.  Careful observation will reveal that the ball is pulled into the cup by the spring during freefall.
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   Websites

"Equivalence Principle", http://www.physics.brown.edu/physics/demopages/Demo/modern/demo/7f1010.htm

Question #103. Department of Physics, University of Maryland.  http://www.physics.umd.edu/lecdem/ outreach/QOTW/active/q103.htm.

 

   References

Clyde J. Smith, "Weightlessness for Large Classes", TPT, Vol. 27, # 1, Jan. 1989, p. 40 - 41.

D. Easton, "Weightlessness and Free Bodies", TPT, Vol. 21, # 8, Nov. 1983, p. 521.

R. D. Edge, "Weightlessness and Other Ideas", TPT, Vol. 19, # 3, Mar. 1981, p. 190.

 

M-188/S-055, "Water/Masses in Styrofoam Cup,"  DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.

 

"Weightlessness in Free Fall", PIRA Newsletter, Vol. 3, # 19, Jan. 25, 1990, p. 2.

R. D. Edge, "Experiment 1.28:  Weightlessness", String and Sticky Tape Experiments.

 



Mail Questions and Comments to:  Dale Stille