Free Fall

Front

What is free fall?

Back

Free fall is the motion of an object under the influence of gravitational force only, with no other forces acting on it, such as air resistance.

Front

What is the acceleration due to gravity (g)?

Back

The acceleration due to gravity (g) is approximately 9.81 m/s² on the surface of the Earth, often rounded to 10 m/s² for simplicity in calculations.

Front

What does a free body diagram (FBD) represent?

Back

A free body diagram (FBD) is a graphical representation used to visualize the forces acting on an object, helping to analyze its motion.

Front

If an object is in free fall, what is its acceleration?

Back

The acceleration of an object in free fall is constant and equal to g (approximately 10 m/s²), regardless of its mass.

Front

What happens to the speed of a freely falling object over time?

Back

The speed of a freely falling object increases linearly over time due to the constant acceleration of gravity.

Front

How does air resistance affect free fall?

Back

Air resistance opposes the motion of falling objects, reducing their acceleration and terminal velocity, but in a vacuum, all objects fall at the same rate.

Front

What is terminal velocity?

Back

Terminal velocity is the constant speed an object reaches when the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity, resulting in no further acceleration.

Front

What is the relationship between the height from which an object is dropped and its speed just before impact?

Back

The speed of an object just before impact increases with the height from which it is dropped, following the equation v = √(2gh), where h is the height.

Front

What is the speed of a ball dropped from rest after 4 seconds?

Back

The speed of a ball dropped from rest after 4 seconds is approximately 40 m/s (using g = 10 m/s²).

Front

What is the effect of mass on the free fall of an object?

Back

In free fall, the mass of an object does not affect its acceleration; all objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass.