Explain the questions Weight Drop

Weight Drop

Try this yourself with two strings, each about 200 centimeters long, 12 hex nuts, and a wooden

board.

Tie six of the hex nuts to the first string at equal distances, about 30 cm apart from each other,

with the first one tied about 5 cm from the end of the string. For the second string, tie the nuts at

5 cm, 20 cm, 45 cm, 80 cm, 125 cm, and 180 cm from one end of the string.

Hold the first string so that the free end 5 cm from the first nut just touches the board. When you

drop the first string, the clicks when each nut strikes the board will sound closer together. When

you drop the second string of nuts, the ’clicks’ will sound equally spaced.

Can you explain this?

Is there anything significant about the spacing of the hex nuts to create the equally-spaced

sounds?

HINT: The weights fall due to gravity, and gravity is an example of constant acceleration.
Examine the position vs. time equation, given in Concept Review 2e. How does ‘when’ relate to ‘how far’ according to that equation?

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