Free Fall and Projectile Motion: Understanding the Basics
Let's break down two important ideas in motion: free fall and projectile motion. Both of these ideas involve gravity, which is the force that pulls things toward the Earth.
Free Fall:
When an object is in free fall, it is only affected by gravity. There’s no air pushing against it.
The speed at which it falls is about 9.81 meters per second squared (that’s how much its speed increases every second).
For example, if you drop a ball from high up, it will start falling faster and faster due to gravity.
Projectile Motion:
Now, let’s talk about projectile motion. This is when an object moves in a curved path because it has some initial sideways speed and is also pulled down by gravity.
Like in free fall, the object still feels the same pull of gravity at about 9.81 meters per second squared downward. But in this case, it’s also moving sideways at a steady speed.
For example, think about when you throw a basketball. The ball goes up, then comes down while also moving forward, creating a curve.
To sum it up:
Both free fall and projectile motion deal with gravity.
Free fall is when something drops straight down, only affected by gravity.
Projectile motion is when something moves in a curve, going sideways and downward at the same time.
Understanding these two concepts helps us learn more about how things move!
Free Fall and Projectile Motion: Understanding the Basics
Let's break down two important ideas in motion: free fall and projectile motion. Both of these ideas involve gravity, which is the force that pulls things toward the Earth.
Free Fall:
When an object is in free fall, it is only affected by gravity. There’s no air pushing against it.
The speed at which it falls is about 9.81 meters per second squared (that’s how much its speed increases every second).
For example, if you drop a ball from high up, it will start falling faster and faster due to gravity.
Projectile Motion:
Now, let’s talk about projectile motion. This is when an object moves in a curved path because it has some initial sideways speed and is also pulled down by gravity.
Like in free fall, the object still feels the same pull of gravity at about 9.81 meters per second squared downward. But in this case, it’s also moving sideways at a steady speed.
For example, think about when you throw a basketball. The ball goes up, then comes down while also moving forward, creating a curve.
To sum it up:
Both free fall and projectile motion deal with gravity.
Free fall is when something drops straight down, only affected by gravity.
Projectile motion is when something moves in a curve, going sideways and downward at the same time.
Understanding these two concepts helps us learn more about how things move!