UNDERSTANDING

FREEFALL
Freefall is the motion of an object under the effect of
gravitational force only.
SKY DIVER
 Important Note!

-Free fall does not mean that the object is

falling down only.
-Objects thrown upward or downward and
those released from the rest are all the
examples of free fall.
Falling Objects and Air Resistance
More air resistance on without
crumpled-up piece of paper
Falling Objects and Air Resistance
More air resistance on without
crumpled-up piece of paper
Falling Objects and Air Resistance
More air resistance on without
crumpled-up piece of paper
Falling Objects and Air Resistance
More air resistance on without
crumpled-up piece of paper
Falling Objects and Air Resistance
More air resistance on without
crumpled-up piece of paper
 Less air resistance on
crumpled-up piece of paper
 Less air resistance on
crumpled-up piece of paper
 Less air resistance on
crumpled-up piece of paper
 Less air resistance on
crumpled-up piece of paper
In vacuum both feather and
apple falls at the same rate
This is because there is an absence of air inside the vacuum, meaning there is
no air resistance.
so surface area and mass makes no difference.
If the velocity and time for a free-falling object being
dropped from a position of rest were tabulated, then one
would note the following pattern.

Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

0 0
1 - 9.8
2 - 19.6
3 - 29.4
4 - 39.2
5 - 49.0
Another way to represent this acceleration of 9.8
t=0,v=0m/s
m/s/s is to add numbers to our dot diagram. The
velocity of the ball is seen to increase as depicted in t=1,v=9.8m/s
the diagram at the right. (NOTE: The diagram is not
t=2,v-19.6=m/s
drawn to scale - in two seconds, the object would
drop considerably further than the distance from t=3,v-29.4=-m/s
shoulder to toes.)
t=4,v-39.2=-m/s

t=5,v-49.0=-m/s
g = 9.8m/s
 EQUATIONS
Y = Position (m)

Vi = Initial Velocity (m/s)

Vf = Final Velocity (m/s)

g = acceleration (m/s^2)

t = Time (s)
 EQUATIONS
y= + y= (+)t
=+2gy =+gy
y=vt
SAMPLE PROBLEMS
A ball is dropped from rest on a cliff. (a) What is the speed of the
ball 5 seconds later? (b) What is the velocity of the ball at this
time? © How far does it travel during this time? (d) What is the
displacement of the ball?
A ball is thrown downward at an initial speed of 15m/s from the
top of a cliff. (a) What is the speed and velocity of the ball 8
seconds later? (b) How far does it travel during this time and
what is its displacement?
A stone is dropped from the top of a building and hits the ground
5 seconds later. How tall is the building?
A rock was thrown vertically upward such that the time required
for it to reach its maximum height was 1.2 s. The release point
was 1.5 m above ground. (a) Letting t=0 be the instant the rock
was released and y=0 correspond to the ground, determine the
expressions for the rock's velocity component and coordinate as
functions of time. (b) Evaluate these expressions at t=0, 0.60, 1.2
and 1.8 s.
A stone is thrown from the top of a cliff at 24m/s and hits the
ground 7s later. How tall is the cliff?
Question 1: What is free fall?
(a)The motion of an object with constant velocity
(b) The motion of an object under the influence of air resistance
(c) The motion of an object in a vacuum
(d) The motion of an object under the influence of gravity only

Question 2: In free fall, the acceleration of an object is approximately:

(b)10 m/s
(b) 9.8 m/s^2
(c) 1 m/s^2
(d) 5 m/s^2

Question 3: During free fall, what happens to an object's velocity?

(c)It decreases linearly.
(b) It increases linearly.
(c) It remains constant.
(d) It increases quadratically.

Question 4: In the absence of air resistance, what happens to the acceleration of an object in free fall?
(d)It decreases with time.
(b) It increases with time.
(c) It remains constant.
(d) It becomes zero.
Question 5: What is the shape of the trajectory followed by an object in free fall?
(a)Straight line
(b) Parabola
(c) Circle
(d) Ellipse

Question 6: What is the final velocity of an object in free fall just before it hits the ground?
(b)9.8 m/s
(b) 19.6 m/s
(c) 49 m/s
(d) It depends on the initial velocity.

Question 7: What is the relationship between the mass of an object and its acceleration in free fall (in the absence
of air resistance)?
(c)Mass has no effect on acceleration.
(b) As mass increases, acceleration decreases.
(c) As mass increases, acceleration increases.
(d) Mass and acceleration are inversely proportional.

Question 8: Suppose two objects, one heavy and one light, are dropped from the same height in the absence of air
resistance. Which object hits the ground first?
(d)The heavy object
(b) The light object
(c) Both objects hit the ground at the same time.
(d) It depends on the shape of the objects.
Question 9: What is the value of the acceleration due to gravity (g) on the surface of the Moon?
(a)9.8 m/s^2
(b) 1 m/s^2
(c) 5.7 m/s^2
(d) 1.6 m/s^2

Question 10: If an object is thrown upward in free fall, what happens to its velocity as it rises?
(b)Its velocity remains constant.
(b) Its velocity increases.
(c) Its velocity decreases.
(d) It immediately stops moving.