Galileo Ball Drop

The catwalk is 6.3 meters above the lecture hall floor. Exercise extreme caution when accessing the platform, especially when reaching over the railing to position the balls. Ensure the ladder or balcony access is secure before climbing.

The ball bearings will strike with significant force (approximately 11 m/s). The sounding board MUST be positioned correctly to protect the lecture hall floor. Ensure the area below is clear of people and equipment before release.

Purpose

Two ball bearings of very different masses are dropped simultaneously from 6.3 meters onto a sounding board. They hit at the same instant, demonstrating that gravitational acceleration is independent of mass when air resistance is negligible.

White hinged release platform with two chrome ball bearings of different sizes sitting in circular recesses, electromagnetic latch mechanism in the center

View from lecture hall floor looking up at the catwalk railing with the release platform mounted above, a string hanging down vertically toward the floor, chalkboards visible behind

Close-up of the release platform on the catwalk railing, showing the ball bearings loaded on the platform with the railing and ceiling structure visible

Figure 1: The electromagnetic release platform with both ball bearings in sized recesses. Disengaging the magnet drops the hinged platform, releasing both balls simultaneously.

Figure 2: The release platform on the catwalk at 6.3 meters. The hanging string guides placement of the sounding board directly below.

Figure 3: Close-up of the platform loaded with ball bearings on the catwalk. The 6.3-meter drop takes about 1.1 seconds.

Simultaneous Release Platform

1

Warning: Fall Hazard Warning

Warning: Heavy Object Impact

Purpose

Safety Warnings

Warning: Fall Hazard Warning

Warning: Heavy Object Impact

Purpose