Final answer:
To estimate the fall time for height 1, the student should calculate the average fall time by adding the recorded times together and dividing by the number of trials, resulting in an average time of 0.608 seconds.
Step-by-step explanation:
To estimate the fall time for height 1, the student should calculate the average of the collected times. This is the most statistically reliable method as it minimizes the impact of anomalies and random errors that may occur during individual trials.
To calculate the average fall time:
- Add up all the fall times recorded for height 1.
- Divide the sum by the number of trials conducted (which is 5 in this case).
The calculation would be (0.61 + 0.58 + 0.68 + 0.57 + 0.60) / 5 = 3.04 / 5 = 0.608 seconds.
Therefore, the student should report the average fall time as 0.608 seconds for height 1.