In the Gerald Gao ’24 Overlook of VISTA, students set up ramps on tables and measured the vertical distance from the end of the ramp to the floor of the Hamilton Hub below. In the Hub, they aligned their ruler directly beneath their ramp, estimated the final horizontal landing point, and placed a shiny silver coin at that spot. If their calculations were accurate, the ball would land precisely on the coin after rolling down the ramp. However, an error in calculation or misalignment of the coin could cause them to “drop the ball” at a critical moment, leading the ball to miss its target and hit the floor.
Accurate calculations and alignment are required for the ball to drop and hit the coin.
The “Drop the Ball” experiment was the fall signature assessment for students in Brian Geyer’s Honors Physics classes. It was an application of their study of two-dimensional kinematics, which examines motion in two perpendicular directions simultaneously, horizontal and vertical. Students were tasked with correctly computing the ball’s initial velocity at the end of the ramp to ensure it successfully hit its mark.
Before setting up in the Overlook, students first trialed their ramps from four different heights and gathered data on the horizontal distances the ball traveled for each trial. Using these distances and heights, they calculated the horizontal component of the initial velocity for each trial. They then applied this value in their predictions when setting up in the Hub.
Each student meticulously set up their ramp and positioned their coin, collaborating to measure distances between the two floors. The anticipation was palpable as they released the ball, watching it roll down the ramp, exit horizontally, and drop into the Hub. Most correctly calculated the final horizontal position, and many properly aligned their coin.
(upper right) Tyler Bousquet ’25 achieved a successful ball drop after a careful adjustment.
When senior Tyler Bousquet's first attempt missed, he made a small adjustment to his alignment. On his second try, he released the ball, and it struck the coin squarely. His success was marked by the satisfying clink of the ball meeting the coin and a collective cheer from the class. The experiment demonstrated the power of combining scientific rigor with determination and collaboration, leaving students with both a sense of achievement and a deeper understanding of physics in action.