LTC physics students reenact Galileo's experiment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/22/2009
 LTC physics students drop a bowling ball and a kick ball from LTC's 110-foot wind turbine to reenact Galileo’s experiment proving the existence of gravity. |
CLEVELAND, WI –
Galileo was reported to have dropped a ten pound weight and a one pound weight off the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove the presence of gravity. LTC physics students reenacted Galileo's experiment when they simultaneously dropped a bowling ball and a kick ball from their own tower- the campus's wind turbine.
"The experiment was the idea of six students in my class," said LTC Physics Instructor Kelly Ryba. "They are all in the Wind Energy Technology program-and quite familiar with climbing the turbine-and they wanted to expand on the small-scale demonstration I did while standing on a chair in class."
When the LTC students took to heart Ryba's lesson that the higher you go, the less effect gravity has on an object, they sent a bowling ball and a kick ball to the top of LTC's 110-foot wind turbine. And let them go.
The six students timed the drop of each ball, took into consideration the air resistance pushing back on the lighter object, and concluded that the two balls of different masses did indeed fall at the same rate.
To help build up their class grades, Ryba said, the group then put together a spreadsheet detailing the objects' actual acceleration, velocity, and time to drop and compared these values to calculated, or theoretical, values.
To ensure the safety of the students and other observers, the experiment was conducted by trained wind energy technology students under the direction of Wind Energy Technology Instructor Jenny Heinzen.
About Lakeshore Technical College
Lakeshore Technical College is a leading provider of technical education offering 100 career programs including associate degrees, technical diplomas, technical certificates, and apprenticeship programs. In addition, LTC offers distance learning, customized training to business and industry, and continuing educational opportunities.
Serving a 200,500-resident population in east central Wisconsin, LTC operates a main campus in Cleveland; additional learning sites at LTC Manitowoc and LTC Sheboygan; Community Education Centers at area high schools in Kiel, Mishicot, Plymouth, Random Lake, Reedsville, and Two Rivers; and 27 distance learning sites. LTC’s mission is to enrich lives and strengthen the economy by preparing a workforce that is skilled, diverse and flexible. On average, 79% of LTC graduates work in the LTC District which includes Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties, and parts of Calumet and Ozaukee Counties. Visit LTC at: gotoltc.edu.
