Operational Definitions/Measurement System Analysis. The focus for this month is on operational definitions. Operational definitions are one key to good data collection. They are a necessary, although not sufficient, condition for good data collection. Plus, we will look at how control charts can be used to evaluate the measurement system.
Air resistance induces a drag force on any body that falls through any atmosphere other than a perfect vacuum, and this drag force increases with velocity until it equals the gravitational force, leaving the object to fall at a constant terminal velocity.
The formula for determining the velocity of a falling object after a time of t seconds is vf = g * t (dropped from rest) where g is the acceleration of gravity. The value for g on Earth is 9.8 m/s/s. The above equation can be used to calculate the velocity of the object after any given amount of time when dropped from rest. Example calculations for the velocity of a free-falling object after six and eight seconds are shown below. Example Calculations: