Reference: M23
Category: Mechanics
Purpose:
Description: A metre-stick is propped up by a piece of wood. A lead sphere rests in a small depression on the far end of the metre-stick. A small plastic container is attached to the metre-stick a few cm inwards from the sphere. The prop is knocked away and the ball falls into the container. This shows that the acceleration of the container is greater than g, the acceleration of the freely falling sphere. The acceleration of the centre of mass of the metre stick is slightly less than g because of the reaction at the hinge, but the acceleration at the end of the metre-stick is greater than g.
