In: Physics
You realize early on that it will be essential to determine Zoopledorf’s surface gravity gZ — the magnitude of the gravitational acceleration near the planet’s surface. Fortunately, the expedition’s supplies include a small ball and two motion sensors. The motion sensors record the time when an object passes in front of them, but no other information about the object’s motion.
To measure gZ, you set up the motion sensors, one a distance h directly above the other. You toss the ball vertically upward so that it passes each motion sensor twice: once on the way up, and once on the way down. Explain how you can use the measured height h between the two motion sensors and the timestamps the sensors record (four in total) to determine Zoopledorf’s surace gravity gZ. State any assumptions you make about the motion of the ball, and discuss factors that might reduce the accuracy of your measurement.