Soccer Ball Lab Essay Example for Free

Soccer Ball Lab Essay I. INTRODUCTION Speed, distance, time, and acceleration are all very complex formulas that are interdependent. These formulas are measured in motion data and used to determine the final instantaneous speed, distance, time, and acceleration. Distance and time are two formulas that are used to determine speed and time. For example, distance equals speed multiplied with time given, time equals distance divided by speed, and speed is equals distance divided time. Speed and time are required to determine acceleration. ( This is how they are an interdependent formula. ) These complex formulas will benefit you in situations , where as you are trying to find the missing equation value dealing with motion data. For example, in many situations, the problem gives information with only the values of time and distance. You are trying to solve for the speed in the given problem, so in order to determine the speed, you’d have to taken the given information and divide the time by distance. In other situations, you are trying to solve for acceleration, which only initial velocity, time, and acceleration are given. You would have to interrelate the given values and take the initial velocity and add it to the acceleration, multiplied by time, then your data and equations sum up to the final velocity. These formulas and equations, in particular, acceleration and speed, are related to Newton’s first law of motion. This is also known as inertia, inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion and rest, or the ability of an object to resist any change in its motion. Objects at rest will remain at rest if both acceleration and speed are equal to zero . Newton’s first law of motion states â€Å"An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.† An unbalanced force is when 2 forces are not equal they work against each other. It acts upon an object, either opposite, or beside it. Depending on the situation, an unbalanced force can make an object either decelerate or accelerate. Friction is a common force that forces  objects to decelerate. Now, acceleration is compatible with this situation because when an object is traveling at a certain speed, eventually it will slow down and stop. Inertia works with the situation, because inertia is a property of mass, meaning the larger the mass, the more inertia there is. Mass is a measurement of the amount of matter an object contains, therefore the larger the mass, the more the object resists its change of its state of motion and deceleration. All of these are interdependent and interrelated resulting in all the solutions to these complex equations dealing with motion and time. II.PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS The purpose of this lab is to determine whether a soccer ball will accelerate, decelerate, or travel at a constant speed when kicked from a certain distance to another. If a soccer ball is kicked from a certain place to another, while being timed, then the soccer ball will decelerate .This is because the incredible force of friction will work against the force moving the ball. The unbalanced force will cause the ball to decelerate and eventually stop. III.MATERIALS 1. (1) Stop watch 2. (2) Soccer Ball 3. (1) Chalk/ Marker- IVPROCEDURE 1. Position yourself at a designated, and marked place. These must be measured in units, in order to get an accurate description. 2. Stand in your designated area, until the soccer ball reaches it. 3. Have the ball be kicked.  4. When the traveling soccer ball reaches you, stop and record your time. 5. Record the time showed on the stopwatch on a piece of paper This can be redone multiple of times. V.OBSERVATIONSobser * QUALITATIVE: The group walked to the measuring area ( A parking lot ), where stations were set up. A straight line, that measured 10 meters was marked across with a  piece of chalk. The soccer ball was very soft and deflated to have a more accurate observation. The soccer ball traveled on ground until stopped by a person. * QUANTITATIVE: Distance (m/s)| Time (Seconds)| Instan. Speed (m/s)| Acceleration (m/s ²)| 2| .47| 4.25| -4.7| 4| .93| 4.30| -0.62| 6| 1.5| 4| 1.57| 8| 1.8| 4.44| 2.21| 10| 2.49| 4.01| 2.22| Graph, representing distance vs. time. VI.ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION When the soccer ball was kicked, and measured, it traveled and eventually decelerated. Now, the ball decelerated, but not at a constant rate. It depended on various things in order to have taken the ball to either decelerate faster, or for the ball to have travel faster. But, in this case, the soccer ball accelerated very slightly on halfway to the 8 meter mark. This was due to friction and an unbalanced force, that took control of the 14 ounce soccer ball, and made it decelerate. The question, is why the soccer ball went at the speed, and not at a faster speed. Well, one person was chosen to kick the ball. The person, if they wanted to, could have either kicked the ball softly, or put more pressure into kicked it. If more people were selected to kick the soccer ball, the amount of force exerted on the ball might have been different. The factors that determine the speed the ball are the amount of force initially exerted on the ball and the unbalanced force. In this case, it was frict ion that acted upon the ball. VII.DISCUSSION Although, the group remained and recorded many accurate results, there were some complications. When conducting the lab, some people at other designated spots pressed their stop watches too early, resulting in different results. Another error that might have occurred, is that too much force was exerted on the soccer ball, when kicked. This could have resulted  in the soccer ball traveling at a faster rate. Either that that, the most observations and results were accurate.