There are two ways to live your life - one is as
though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a
miracle.
- Einstein
Questions to ponder
1. Describe the motion of a falling body.
2. What are the forces affecting the motion of a falling body?
3. In the absence of air friction, how would the acceleration of a large mass compare with the acceleration of a small mass?
Free Fallin'
I. Motion of objects moving freely under the force of gravity.
Freefall - falling where the only force is gravity
 |
"Do the examples below show freefall?" |
Guy jumps from the 3rd floor onto a tree. Wild stuff
;
Galileo (1564 - 1642)
Credit:
Original portrait by
Justus
Sustermans painted in 1636.
Effect of Mass On Free Fall
Rutgers U.
Click on the Arrow
Free Fall - D vs. t Plot
Rutgers
U.
Distance and Time
Rutgers U.
(Roll your mouse over this)
St. Mary's H.S. Physics
Gravity/Moon - Feather &
Hammer
NASA
| All objects falling near the surface of the earth accelerate at a constant rate of -9.8 m/s2 (neglecting air resistance) |
g = - 9.8 m/s2
Rounding off g we get -10 m/s2
Ex) An object thrown upward at
+40
m/s
|
Larger |
St. Mary's H.S. Physics
An object is thrown up at a velocity of 30 m/s
About how long will it take to hit the ground?
6 seconds
| V (m/s) |
Time (sec) |
| 30 | 0 |
| 20 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 |
| 0 | 3 |
| -10 | 4 |
| -20 | 5 |
| -30 | 6 |
Draw the V vs t Plot
A. Motion diagram for free fall on any planet or moon
| Acceleration due to gravity is CONSTANT near the surface of any planet or moon. |
Label the slope pictured above
that could be Jupiter?
Moon?
Top Line: Jupiter
Bottom Line: Moon
D vs t - free fall
ŠTony Mangiacapre.,
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