A hammer and a feather or drag from the same height by an astronaut on a planet without air. How will they’re Falls compare?
A. The feather will fall faster because it has less mass, allowing it to speed up more easily than the hammer
B. The handle for faster because gravity is pulling it down with a greater force than it is pulling the feather
C. The object so far the same time because gravity will have the same affect on them
D. The objects fall at the same time because gravity is not acting on them, so they will be affected the same
D. The objects fall at the same time because gravity is not acting on them, so they will be affected the same.
C. The objects fall at the same time because gravity will have the same effect on them.
The correct answer is D. The objects will fall at the same time because gravity is still acting on them, even in the absence of air.
To understand this, let's explain how to get the answer:
1. Gravity's Effect: Gravity is the force that pulls objects towards the center of a planet or moon. On any celestial body, whether it has an atmosphere or not, gravity is still present and can exert its influence.
2. Air Resistance: In our everyday experience on Earth, air resistance is present and affects the motion of objects. For example, a feather experiences more air resistance than a hammer, so it falls slower. However, in the given scenario where there is no air, this factor is eliminated.
3. Mass vs. Weight: Mass refers to the amount of matter present in an object, while weight is the force exerted on an object due to gravity. The acceleration due to gravity affects objects of different masses in the same way, provided that no other forces or factors are present.
4. Equivalence: When there is no air resistance, objects of different masses will fall at the same rate due to the equivalence principle. This principle states that the acceleration due to gravity is the same for all objects, regardless of their mass (ignoring factors like air resistance or other external forces).
Therefore, in the absence of air, both the hammer and the feather will fall at the same time because they are both affected by gravity in the same way.