Gravity & Free Fall

Acceleration due to gravity

The rate at which an object accelerates when falling, approximately 9.8 m/s² or commonly rounded to 10 m/s².

Free fall

The motion of an object falling under the influence of gravity alone, without air resistance.

Equation for distance in free fall

d = ½gt², where g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Initial velocity when dropped

When an object is dropped, the initial velocity (vᶦ) is 0.

Acceleration formula in motion

vᶠ = vᶦ + at, where vᶠ is final velocity, vᶦ is initial velocity, a is acceleration, and t is time.

Equation for final velocity in free fall

vᶠ = gt, where vᶠ is final velocity and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Height from which a rock is dropped in the example

80 m, calculated using the equation d = ½(10)t².

Time taken for a rock to fall from 80 m

4 seconds, as calculated in the example using d = ½(10)(4²).