2022 Community Outreach: Learn about gravity!
We have created a video that you can watch using the link provided, we hope it helps you learn something new. You can find the link under the video tab at the top of the page. We hope you enjoy watching as much as we enjoyed throwing water balloons at each other while filming :)
Our Video
Here we show you that no matter the weight, all objects fall at the same acceleration, due to the gravity of the earth. When something hits the ground at a different time to something else, it is because air resistance is slowing down the larger object by more than the smaller object!
Explaining concepts
We hope our video teaches you a little bit about physics, and gets you interested in science.
Video and Quiz all in one place
Our website is designed so you can access all of the materials we have made in one place.
Discussion
There is more information on our chosen topic below for you to read. We hope you take away something educational from our project. Feel free to discuss what you learned and enjoyed amongst yourselves.
2022 Community Outreach
Gravity
Air Resistance
A force that pulls objects towards massive things like planets.
Our Earth has its own gravity that pulls objects towards the centre of earth, and keeps things like the moon going around it.
The Sun is much bigger than our planet, which means that the pull the sun has on the earth is much stronger than the pull the earth has on the sun.
This is why the earth orbits the sun and not the other way around.
See more info here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zf66fg8/articles/zqbm3k7
A force called friction occurs when objects like airplanes travel through the air or even sharks travel through water- and slows them down by pushing against them.
Air resistance is a type of friction that acts on objects that move through the air.
This means that when a hot air balloon travels through the air, the air in front of it pushes it backwards and makes it more difficult for it to fly through the sky.
See more info here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsxxsbk/articles/zxw6gdm
The Moon
During NASA's visit to the moon in the Apollo 15 space mission they decided to test the effects of air resistance on falling objects. They tried it on the moon because the moon has no air resistance, unlike earth.
They dropped two objects, a hammer and a feather, and discovered that with no wind or air resistance they fell to the surface of the moon at the exact same time. This means that with just gravity, objects of any mass will always fall at the same rate. Here is a link to a really good video that shows this: https://moon.nasa.gov/resources/331/the-apollo-15-hammer-feather-drop/
Acknowledgements: This section was written by Alice Barkley, image by Georgia Olson
Contact
University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 4HN
Caroline Stone, Alice Barkley, Georgia Olson, Calum McMeekin and Ryan McNeil.
Caroline Cordelia Stone: Got hit by a tennis ball many times for this video :) Responsible for editing and dressing up as Sir Isaac Newton.
Alice Barkley: Filmed the whole thing even though it was very windy. Extra points for dealing with the rest of the groups nonsense.
Calum McMeekin: Provided stellar Isaac Newton outfit. Also got hit the most by water balloons during filming.
Ryan McNeil: Actor and chief drop-tester. Also threw the most water balloons at Calum.
Georgia Olson: Produced an excellent array of props and also acted. Wins the award for most failed water balloon throws (they didn't even pop).