Does the acceleration due to gravity ever change?

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SUMMARY

The acceleration due to gravity remains constant at approximately 9.81 m/s² regardless of a person's falling state. However, in real-world scenarios, factors such as wind resistance and drag come into play, which oppose gravitational force. As a person falls, these forces increase with velocity until they reach a point where the force of air resistance equals the gravitational force, resulting in no further acceleration. This condition is known as terminal velocity, typically around 120 mph for a normal-sized human in a belly-down position.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts, particularly Newton's laws of motion.
  • Knowledge of forces, including gravitational force and air resistance.
  • Familiarity with the concept of terminal velocity.
  • Basic understanding of velocity and acceleration definitions.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the effects of air resistance on falling objects.
  • Study Newton's laws of motion in detail.
  • Explore the concept of terminal velocity in various contexts.
  • Learn about the mathematical modeling of falling objects in physics.
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Students of physics, educators teaching motion dynamics, and anyone interested in understanding the principles of gravity and motion in real-world applications.

jacy
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hello,
If a person is falling through the air will his/her acceleration
increase, decrease or will remain the same.

I think since the person is falling through the air with a negative velocity and his/her acceleration due to gravity is also negative, therefore his/her acceleration will increase. Please correct me if am wrong, thanks.
 
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I think since the person is falling through the air with a negative velocity and his/her acceleration due to gravity is also negative

you answered your own question, does the acceleration due to gravity ever change? Nope. Does any other force act to accelerate this person?(remember, to accelerate, you need a force!)well, in a vaccuum, no, you accelerate at the same rate foorrrrrever

but in real life(well, on our planet) you deal with wind resistance and drag and all that, which DOES exert a force that opposes the gravitational force, AND since the wind resistance force depends on your velocity, eventually you'll go fast enough that it's exerting a force just as strong as the gravitational force and you stop accelerating completely(for a normal full-sized human, about 120mph, belly-down)that's called terminal velocity
 

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