Unit 3.5 Free Fall

Front

What is free fall?

Back

Free fall is the motion of an object under the influence of gravitational force only, without any air resistance.

Front

What is the acceleration due to gravity (g) on Earth?

Back

The acceleration due to gravity (g) on Earth is approximately 9.81 m/s².

Front

What happens to the velocity of an object in free fall?

Back

The velocity of an object in free fall increases as it falls, due to the constant acceleration of gravity.

Front

What is a velocity-time graph?

Back

A velocity-time graph shows how the velocity of an object changes over time.

Front

What does a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph indicate?

Back

A horizontal line indicates that the object is moving at a constant velocity.

Front

What does a downward sloping line on a velocity-time graph indicate?

Back

A downward sloping line indicates that the object is decelerating.

Front

What is terminal velocity?

Back

Terminal velocity is the constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium prevents further acceleration.

Front

How does air resistance affect free fall?

Back

Air resistance opposes the motion of falling objects, reducing their acceleration and eventually leading to terminal velocity.

Front

What is the formula for calculating the distance fallen in free fall?

Back

The formula is d = 0.5 * g * t², where d is distance, g is acceleration due to gravity, and t is time.

Front

What is the significance of a vacuum in free fall experiments?

Back

In a vacuum, there is no air resistance, allowing objects to fall freely and demonstrate that all objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass.