Explain the acceleration of falling objects.
Gravity, a force, acts on an object, causing it to accelerate
Newtons Second equation: F=ma
Thanks "bobpursley"!
thats easy it is KINETIC ENERGY!!!! i had trouble with it too!!! Really nothing ever hits the ground either freaky huh??
The acceleration of falling objects is a fundamental concept in physics and is commonly explained using Newton's laws of motion. To understand it, we need to first know that all objects near the Earth's surface experience a force called gravity, which pulls them downwards.
Now, according to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. In the case of falling objects, the force acting on them is the force of gravity.
The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s²), denoted by the symbol "g". This means that for every second an object falls, its velocity increases by 9.8 m/s in the downward direction.
To calculate the acceleration of a falling object, you can use the following equation:
acceleration = force of gravity / mass of the object
Or more commonly:
acceleration = g (9.8 m/s²)
This equation tells us that the acceleration of a falling object near the Earth's surface is constant and does not depend on the object's mass. So whether it's a feather or a brick, both will fall with the same acceleration, assuming there are no other forces acting on them (such as air resistance).
Keep in mind that this explanation assumes a vacuum or negligible air resistance. In reality, air resistance can affect the acceleration of falling objects, especially at high speeds.