How Does Height Affect the Impact of Falling Objects?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around how the height from which an object is dropped affects its impact upon hitting the ground. Participants explore concepts related to gravitational acceleration, velocity, and energy transfer during the fall, with a focus on both theoretical and practical implications.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants assert that an object falling from a greater height will have a greater impact due to increased speed and energy upon hitting the ground.
  • One participant explains that the object will be traveling faster because gravity has more time to accelerate it over a longer distance.
  • Another participant emphasizes the relationship between time, speed, and acceleration, suggesting that the longer an object falls, the faster it will go.
  • There are discussions about the effects of air resistance and terminal velocity on falling objects, with some participants providing specific examples of how velocity changes with height.
  • One participant questions the relevance of physics to social sciences, indicating a disconnect between the two fields.
  • Mathematical relationships are presented, such as the equations for velocity and distance fallen over time, with specific examples using a penny dropped from various heights.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of agreement and disagreement regarding the implications of height on impact. While some agree on the basic principles of acceleration due to gravity, there are differing views on the relevance of these concepts to social sciences and the depth of understanding required.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note limitations in their understanding of physics due to the simplicity of their coursework, which may affect the depth of the discussion. There are also unresolved questions about the role of air resistance and terminal velocity in the context of falling objects.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students and educators in physics, particularly those exploring the concepts of motion, energy, and the effects of gravity. It may also appeal to individuals interested in the intersection of physics and social sciences.

motleycat
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An object falling from a short distance (e.g. 5cm) has less of an impact than the same object falling from a height of 5m.
 
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The object which is dropped from a greater height will be traveling faster when it hits the ground.
It carries a greater amount of energy as momentum.
When it impacts the ground and stops there is more energy which has to be released.
Some of the energy will be released as heat, some will be released as a shock wave in the ground material, which could cause destructive/distorting effects in the material.
 
Last edited:
rootone said:
The object which is dropped from a greater height will be traveling faster when it hits the ground.
But why is it traveling faster?
 
No, I am in a physics course for social science students. They keep it very simple.
 
motleycat said:
But why is it traveling faster?
It takes longer to fall from a greater height because there's more distance to cover before the falling object hits the ground. That gives gravity more time to accelerate the falling object.

(no matter how simple they're keeping things, I hope they're giving you the relationship between time, speed, and acceleration: ##v=at##, which says speed equals acceleration times time).
 
The longer you accelerate in your car the faster you go.
 
Gravity on Earth will accelerate all objects at 9.807 meters per second, for every second that the object falls, until that object reaches terminal velocity (the air friction balances with the gravitational acceleration).

So, for instance, a penny dropped from 9.807 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly one second and will be traveling at 9.807 m/s (21.9 MPH) when it hits the ground. A penny dropped from 19.613 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly two seconds, and will be traveling at 19.613 m/s (43.8 MPH) when it hits the ground. A penny dropped from 29.419 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly three seconds and will be traveling 29.419 m/s (65.8 MPH) when it hits the ground.

Thus, an object falling from a greater height will have more time to accelerate (unless it's moving faster to begin with... for instance, a penny dropped from 10 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s vs. a penny dropped from 11 meters with a starting velocity of of 22 m/s... the second penny would have less time to accelerate in that case).

Because the object falling from a greater height has more time to accelerate, it's moving faster than if it were dropped from a lesser height, so it's got more kinetic energy.

Basically, for every second an object falls, you can add ~22 MPH to its speed until it reaches terminal velocity.
 
Last edited:
motleycat said:
No, I am in a physics course for social science students. They keep it very simple.

But I'm sure even without having to study it, you must have some idea what an "acceleration" means! It is not as if this is a new or an unusual concept, is it?

Zz.
 
  • #10
I am wondering why physics is even relevant to social science, other than recognising a smile if you you are lucky enough to see one.
 
  • #11
ScooterGuy said:
So, for instance, a penny dropped from 9.807 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly one second and will be traveling at 9.807 m/s (21.9 MPH) when it hits the ground. A penny dropped from 19.613 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly two seconds, and will be traveling at 19.613 m/s (43.8 MPH) when it hits the ground. A penny dropped from 29.419 meters with a starting velocity of 0 m/s will fall for exactly three seconds and will be traveling 29.419 m/s (65.8 MPH) when it hits the ground.
If the object falls for t seconds, the velocity will be gt when it hits the ground, with g = 9.807 m/s^2, but the vertical distance covered is (1/2)gt^2. (the falling time multiplied by the average velocity).
So to make the object fall for 1.2 and 3 seconds, the initial heights should be 4.903, 19.614 and 44.131 metres.
 
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