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naturegal9
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Homework Statement
How does the study of free falling objects on Earth inform us on the motion or lack thereof of the earth?
The concept of free falling objects refers to the motion of objects that are only influenced by the force of gravity. This means that the objects are falling without any other forces acting upon them, such as air resistance or friction.
The acceleration of free falling objects is always constant and equal to the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.8 m/s² near the Earth's surface. This means that the velocity of a free falling object will increase by 9.8 m/s every second.
The mass of an object does not affect the acceleration of free falling objects, but it does affect the force of gravity acting on the object. Objects with a greater mass will experience a greater force of gravity and therefore fall with a greater force.
Yes, free falling objects can reach a terminal velocity, which is the maximum velocity they can achieve due to air resistance balancing out the force of gravity. This means that the object will no longer accelerate and will continue to fall at a constant speed.
The height at which an object is dropped does not affect the time it takes for the object to fall. This is because the acceleration due to gravity is constant and independent of the height. However, a greater height will result in a higher final velocity when the object reaches the ground.