Lesson 1: Drop the Ball

Any object that has mass exerts a gravitational force; the larger the mass, the greater the force of attraction. Objects placed near a large mass undergo acceleration, which is called gravitational acceleration (g). Can you pull off an experiment to determine the value of "g" on various astronomical objects?

Doing the science

1. Start the Space Gravity Simulation by clicking on the "Sim" tab.
2. Note and record in Table 1 the ten-letter Location code.
3. Click on the Drop Button located below the blue ball in the right-hand part of the screen.
4. Note and record in Table 1 the length of time the ball took to drop and the distance the ball fell.
5. Use the following formula to calculate the g value. You will have to algebraically rearrange the equation to solve for g. Record your calculated g value in Table 1.
   
   distance dropped = ½ g (time to fall) ²
   
   
6. Click the Identify button and choose the Space Location from the list that most closely matches your g-value. Record this Space Location in Table 1 in the column labeled "Identification."
7. Once you correctly identify a location, choose a Rocket Fuel and Launch your rocket. When you arrive at a new location, repeat steps 2 - 6 for the new location and complete Table 2.