How Does Gravitational Acceleration Affect Different Objects When They Fall?
When we talk about gravitational acceleration, we mean how fast things speed up when they fall to the Earth because of gravity. Near the Earth's surface, this acceleration is about 9.81 meters per second squared. This number stays the same no matter how heavy or light an object is.
What is Free Fall?
Free fall happens when an object falls only because of gravity, without any air pushing against it.
Does Mass Matter?
Many people think that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones. But that's not true! When in free fall, all objects fall at the same speed, no matter their weight. For example, if you drop a feather and a hammer in a vacuum (a place with no air), they will hit the ground at the same time.
Galileo’s Experiment
Galileo showed this idea by dropping two different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Both objects hit the ground together, proving that how fast something falls doesn’t depend on how heavy it is.
Gravity Formula
The force of gravity on an object can be shown with this equation:
F = m × g
Here, F is the weight in newtons, m is the mass in kilograms, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²).
In short, even though an object's mass changes its weight, it doesn’t change how quickly it falls. All objects feel the same pull of gravity, which makes them accelerate at the same rate toward Earth.
How Does Gravitational Acceleration Affect Different Objects When They Fall?
When we talk about gravitational acceleration, we mean how fast things speed up when they fall to the Earth because of gravity. Near the Earth's surface, this acceleration is about 9.81 meters per second squared. This number stays the same no matter how heavy or light an object is.
What is Free Fall?
Free fall happens when an object falls only because of gravity, without any air pushing against it.
Does Mass Matter?
Many people think that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones. But that's not true! When in free fall, all objects fall at the same speed, no matter their weight. For example, if you drop a feather and a hammer in a vacuum (a place with no air), they will hit the ground at the same time.
Galileo’s Experiment
Galileo showed this idea by dropping two different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Both objects hit the ground together, proving that how fast something falls doesn’t depend on how heavy it is.
Gravity Formula
The force of gravity on an object can be shown with this equation:
F = m × g
Here, F is the weight in newtons, m is the mass in kilograms, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²).
In short, even though an object's mass changes its weight, it doesn’t change how quickly it falls. All objects feel the same pull of gravity, which makes them accelerate at the same rate toward Earth.