Calculate dropped ball acceleration question

[Michaelenetaylor]

When you drop a ball, it accelerates due to Earth gravity. How does it accelerate if you instead throw it downward?

I know a free falling object accelerates at 10 m/s/s, is the same for an object that is thrown downwards?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Pyrrhus]

Well when you throw it downwards it'll basicly get more speed, but its acceleration will be gravity (Ignoring air resistance).

 

[quicknote]

I can confirm that the acceleration due to Earth's gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s^2. This means that when a ball is dropped, it will accelerate at a rate of 9.8 m/s^2 towards the ground. However, when a ball is thrown downward, the initial velocity of the ball will also contribute to its acceleration. If the initial velocity is not significant, then the acceleration due to gravity will still be the dominant force causing the ball to accelerate downward. However, if the initial velocity is significant, then the acceleration of the ball will be a combination of the acceleration due to gravity and the initial velocity. In this case, the acceleration may be greater or less than 9.8 m/s^2 depending on the strength of the initial velocity. Therefore, the acceleration of a thrown ball will not always be the same as a dropped ball.