Free Fall and Gravitational Acceleration
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand that all objects in free fall have the same acceleration
- Students will calculate motion of freely falling objects
- Students will understand that g = 9.8 m/s² is independent of mass
Core Concepts
- Free fall: motion under gravity alone (ignoring air resistance)
- Gravitational acceleration: g = 9.8 m/s² (constant for all objects)
- Kinematic equations apply to falling objects
Formulas
$$g = 9.8 \; \text{m/s}^2$$
Gravitational acceleration (standard value)
$$v = v_0 + gt$$
Velocity of falling object at time t
$$y = y_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2}gt^2$$
Position of falling object at time t
$$v^2 = v_0^2 + 2g(y - y_0)$$
Final velocity using displacement
Interesting Fact
Galileo claimed to have dropped objects from the Tower of Pisa to demonstrate equal acceleration
Key Scientist
Isaac Newton
Explained gravity and why g is constant
Ancient Wisdom
The idea that all things fall equally regardless of their nature echoes philosophical traditions of fundamental equality — all matter obeys the same universal laws.
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