12 PHYS: Free Fall

who said that at a given location on the Earth a in the absence of air resistance, all object fall with the same constant acceleration

Galileo Galilei

a form of constant acceleration

gravitational force

gravity in m/s²

9.8m/s²

gravity in ft/s²

32ft/s²

2 conditions for free fall

• presence of gravity

• absence of air resistance

directions of freefall

• up

• down

velocity at the top of free fall motion

0m/s

relationship of velocity and acceleration when moving up

• v = (+)

• a = (-)

relationship of velocity and acceleration when moving down

• v = (-)

• a = (+)

relationship of velocity and acceleration when at the top

• v = 0m/s

• a = 9.8m/s²

when does acceleration due to gravity vary extremely little

• latitude

• elevation on the Earth’s surface

what kind of quantity is acceleration due to gravity

vector quantity

direction of gravity

downward towards the center of the Earth

the force of friction or drag acting on an object in a direction opposing its motion as it moves through air

air resistance

the time required for the object to reach the maximum height equals the time for it to return from its maximum height to its starting point

time symmetry

at any displacement above the point of release, the speed of the body during the upward trip equals the speed during the downward trip

speed symmetry