Gravitational acceleration
If an object is dropped, it will accelerate towards the ground.
This is because of gravity. The force of gravity is known as the weight of the object.
Earth’s acceleration due to gravity
When an object is dropped in Earth’s gravitational field, it will accelerate
towards the ground at about
That’s known as the acceleration due to gravity. We write it with a
Resistive forces
In the real world, the objects falling to the ground won’t always accelerate
at
Generally, this is due to air resistance - the faster the object falls, the more air resistance it experiences, and the more it decelerates.
It can also be another form of drag - for example, a ball falling through water will experience drag from the water, which will decelerate it.
If these resistive forces eventually become equal to the force of gravity, the object will stop accelerating as it will be at terminal velocity.
flashcards
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the acceleration due to gravity on Earth? | |
| What symbol is used for the acceleration due to gravity? | |
| What is the equation for Earth’s gravitational acceleration? | |
| What causes a falling object to decelerate in the real world? | Resistive forces, generally air resistance, which act against the force of gravity. |
| How does the speed of a falling object affect the air resistance it experiences? | The faster the object falls, the more air resistance it experiences. |
| What happens when resistive forces become equal to the force of gravity on a falling object? | The object will stop accelerating and reach terminal velocity. |
| What is an example of a resistive force other than air resistance? | Drag from water, such as a ball falling through water. |