Free falling objects at different times.

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In summary: What does it mean for an object to have an acceleration?It means that the object is moving faster than the normal rate of movement. In this situation, if the objects were dropped at the same time, the first ball would have a greater velocity and would move away from the second ball.
  • #1
HeartlessCrono
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Homework Statement


Alright so I was given the question " If two of the same object were dropped from the same height at different times, what would happen to the distance between the objects."


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The Attempt at a Solution

I have thought about this for about a half an hour and even tried to do an experiment for this with no luck (I don't have a far enough drop to see if the distance between the two changes) I am debating both sides and can't seem to come to a conclusion.
 
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  • #2
Are you supposed to take air resistance into account?
 
  • #3
Air resistance is never brought up in the question.
 
  • #4
Hmm. In what context is the question set then? What had been studied just before?
 
  • #5
We have simply been going through the basics of motion. When given a problem we have to extract final velocity, initial velocity,acceleration, position and time. Using the different equations we then find the missing variables. Resistance has not been added in just yet, all this is asking is if a ball was dropped a few seconds before another, would the first ball be moving away from the second ball. My original thought is that they would stay the same distance apart as they fell because the both started from rest, and both have the same acceleration, but I was then thinking that the longer an object is in the air the faster it is going, (up until terminal velocity) so would that mean the the distance between the two objects would get bigger, smaller or stay the same.
 
  • #6
You are thinking correctly that an object that has been accelerating longer, will always have a greater velocity that the other object. What does that mean with regard to the distance between the objects?
 
  • #7
Okay what my professor is saying is if the first ball leaves my hand a second before the second ball will the distance between the two balls at free fall stay the same or will the first ball accelerate exponentially and move farther and farther away from the first one. The only axis involved is the Y axis, this is simply vertical distance from one another.
 
  • #8
Re-read #6 and answer the question.
 

1. What is free fall?

Free fall is the motion of an object that is falling solely under the influence of gravity. This means that the only force acting on the object is the force of gravity, causing it to accelerate downwards at a constant rate.

2. How does the time of free fall affect the distance traveled?

The time of free fall has a direct relationship with the distance traveled by an object. This means that the longer an object is in free fall, the greater the distance it will travel. This is because the object is accelerating at a constant rate, meaning its speed increases over time.

3. What is the acceleration of a free falling object?

The acceleration of a free falling object is 9.8 meters per second squared, also known as the acceleration due to gravity. This means that an object in free fall will increase its speed by 9.8 m/s every second it falls.

4. How does air resistance affect free falling objects?

Air resistance, also known as drag, can affect the motion of a free falling object. As an object falls, it will encounter air molecules that will push against it in the opposite direction. This can slow down the object's acceleration and therefore affect the distance it travels in a given time.

5. Can an object ever reach a terminal velocity while in free fall?

Yes, an object in free fall can reach a terminal velocity, which is the maximum speed it can reach while falling. This occurs when the force of air resistance is equal to the force of gravity, causing the object to stop accelerating and reach a constant speed. The terminal velocity of an object depends on its size, shape, and mass.

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