A hammer and a feather are dropped from the same height by an astronaut on a planet without air. How will their falls compare?
A.) The hammer will fall faster because gravity is pulling it down with a greater force than it is pulling the feather.
B.) The objects will fall at the same time because gravity will have the same affect on them.
C.) The objects will fall at the same time because gravity is not acting on them, so they will be affected the same.
D.) The feather will fall faster because it has less mass, allowing it to speed up more easily than the hammer.
B. The objects will fall at the same time because gravity will have the same affect on them.
The correct answer is D.) The feather will fall faster because it has less mass, allowing it to speed up more easily than the hammer.
To understand why, let's break down the factors involved in the falling of objects. When an object falls, the force of gravity pulls it downward. This force is the same for both the hammer and the feather, regardless of their mass, because they are both on the same planet without air.
However, in the absence of air resistance, the only other factor that affects the speed at which an object falls is its mass. Heavier objects, like the hammer, have more inertia, which means they resist changes in motion more. It takes more force to accelerate a heavier object compared to a lighter object. On the other hand, lighter objects, like the feather, have less mass and are easier to accelerate.
So, in this scenario, when the hammer and feather are dropped from the same height, gravity will accelerate both objects downward. However, the feather, being lighter, will have less inertia and will therefore speed up more easily, resulting in it falling faster than the hammer.
It's important to note that this scenario assumes the absence of any other external factors, such as air resistance, which can impact the way objects fall.