Center of Gravity and Bowling

Center of Gravity

Bowling pins have a low center of gravity due to their shape, which make them more stable. The center of gravity of a bowling ball is not always in the absolute middle of the ball. The position of the center of gravity is usually indicated by the position of the logo or punch mark onthe surface of the ball.

Gravity

The value of gravity (g) is 32 ft/s2 (feet per second squared) or 9.8 m/s2 (meters per second squared). This value is a constant, which means that all objects fall to the earth at the same rate of acceleration, no matter how much they weigh (there is some slight variation in the value for g depending where on earth you are located)

Gravity Experiment

In this experiment, you will be able to determine the height of building using bowling ball dropped from the top. You will need a bowling ball of known mass and several stop watches

Procedure

Drop the bowling ball from the top of the building.
Record the time of free fall with several stopwatches, from the instant of release until impact with the ground. Determine the average of the times.
Determine the height (x) of the building using the bowling ball's free fall time, where x = g*t2/2
Calculate the velocity of the bowling ball upon impact, using v = g*t where t is the time in seconds after it is dropped.
Calculate the momentum of the bowling ball upon impact, using p = m*v

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