Acceleration Due to Gravity
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
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Printed: August 25, 2016
AUTHOR
Jean Brainard, Ph.D.
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C HAPTER
Chapter 1. Acceleration Due to Gravity
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Acceleration Due to Gravity
• Describe the acceleration of falling objects due to gravity.
• Explain why falling objects with different masses accelerate at the same rate.
It’s a good thing this mountain climber’s safety gear is working, because it’s a long way down to the ground! If
he were to fall, he’d be moving really fast by the time he got there. The higher any object starts falling from
above Earth’s surface, the faster it’s traveling by the time it reaches the ground. Do you know why? The reason is
gravity.
Speeding up While Falling Down
Gravity is a force that pulls objects down toward the ground. When objects fall to the ground, gravity causes them
to accelerate. Acceleration is a change in velocity, and velocity, in turn, is a measure of the speed and direction of
motion. Gravity causes an object to fall toward the ground at a faster and faster velocity the longer the object falls.
In fact, its velocity increases by 9.8 m/s2, so by 1 second after an object starts falling, its velocity is 9.8 m/s. By 2
seconds after it starts falling, its velocity is 19.6 m/s (9.8 m/s + 9.8 m/s), and so on. The acceleration of a falling
object due to gravity is illustrated in the Figure 1.1.
Q: In this diagram, the boy drops the object at time t= 0 s. By t = 1 s, the object is falling at a velocity of 9.8 m/s.
What is its velocity by t = 5 s? What will its velocity be at t = 6 s if it keeps falling?
A: Its velocity at t = 5 s is 49.0 m/s, and at t = 6 s, it will be 58.8 m/s (49.0 m/s + 9.8 m/s).
Mass and Acceleration Due to Gravity
What if you were to drop a bowling ball and a soccer ball at the same time from the same distance above the ground?
The bowling ball has greater mass than the basketball, so the pull of gravity on it is greater. Would it fall to the
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FIGURE 1.1
ground faster? No, the bowling ball and basketball would reach the ground at the same time. The reason? The more
massive bowling ball is also harder to move because of its greater mass, so it ends up moving at the same acceleration
as the soccer ball. This is true of all falling objects. They all accelerate at the same rate due to gravity, unless air
resistance affects one object more than another. For example, a falling leaf is slowed down by air resistance more
than a falling acorn because of the leaf’s greater surface area.
Q: If a leaf and an acorn were to fall to the ground in the absence of air (that is, in a vacuum), how would this affect
their acceleration due to gravity?
A: They would both accelerate at the same rate and reach the ground at the same time.
Summary
• When gravity pulls objects toward the ground, it always causes them to accelerate at a rate of 9.8 m/s2.
• Regardless of differences in mass, all objects accelerate at the same rate due to gravity unless air resistance
affects one more than another.
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Chapter 1. Acceleration Due to Gravity
Review
1. Why do objects fall faster the longer they fall toward Earth?
2. What is the rate of acceleration due to gravity?
3. How does mass affect acceleration due to gravity?
Resources
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URL: https://www.ck12.org/flx/render/embeddedobject/186760
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References
1. CK-12 Foundation. . CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0
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