How do you determine the height of an object from free fall?

Answer 1

If the object that falls is sufficiently dense and streamlined, so that the effects

of air resistance can be neglected, then you can estimate the height from which

it fell like this:

-- Time the fall, from the instant the object is released until the instant it hits the ground.

-- The distance it fell is [ 16.1 T2 ] feet, or [ 4.9 T2 ] meters.

The height of a tall building can easily be measured by using a barometer.

There are two convenient methods.

1). Drop the barometer from the roof of the building. Time its fall, from the

instant the barometer is released until the instant it hits the ground. The

height of the building roof is [ 16.1 T2 ] feet, or [ 4.9 T2 ] meters.

2). Tie the barometer to the end of a long tape-measure or rope. With the

barometer as a weight to resist the inaccuracy that would be introduced by

the wind, slowly pay out the tape or the rope from the edge of the building's

roof, until the barometer just touches the ground. At that point, either read

the height directly from the tape, or mark the rope where it touches the roof,

and measure the length of rope between the barometer and the mark later.

Answer 2

You can determine the height of an object from free fall by using the kinematic equation: h = 0.5 * g * t^2, where h is the height, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and t is the time of fall. By measuring the time it takes for the object to fall and knowing the acceleration due to gravity, you can calculate the height of the object.