Free Fall

Describing Motion
(along a vertical axis)

‘the kinematics of linear motion’
What happens ?
1) When you drop a rock from a cliff?
2) When a Skydiver jumps from a plane?
Why?
GRAVITY
Which falls faster?
Without air resistance With air resistance

What we see because of air resistance…
AIR RESISTANCE
 A resistance force caused by air
molecules opposing the motion of an
object as it moves through the air.
 A form of friction sometimes called drag.
Terminal Velocity
When sky divers jump, initially they accelerate
Gravity
rapidly.
Eventually, their combined weight due to

gravity will be balanced by their upward air
resistance.
They will stop accelerating and fall at a constant

speed called their terminal velocity.
If they did this near the surface of the moon,

there would be no air resistance.
Their speed would keep increasing until they
Air Resistance crashed into the surface.
Freely Falling Objects
 A freely falling object is moving under
the influence of gravity alone.
 We will neglect air resistance.
 Acceleration does not depend on the

launching conditions of the object:
 Dropped – released from rest
 Launched downward
 Launched upward
Acceleration of Freely Falling Object
 The acceleration of an object in free fall

is directed downward, regardless of
the initial motion.
 Its magnitude is constant, g = -9.80
m/s2
 g decreases with altitude
 g varies with latitude, Earth crust
composition, etc
 9.80 m/s2 is the average at the Earth’s
surface
Acceleration of Free Fall
 Free fall motion is constantly

accelerated motion in one dimension.
 Let upward be positive
 Use:
 kinematic equations
 with ay = -g = - 9.80 m/s2
Free Fall
The rate of
falling
increases by
9.8 m/s every
second.
Free Fall Explained g = weight/mass
F stands for the force (or weight in newtons) a = force/mass

m stands for the mass of the cannonball
a is the rate of acceleration
• the weight-to-mass ratio is the same for these or any

objects, which means that the acceleration rates are
the same. 10x gravitational force
or weight
1 kg rock
10 kg
cannonball
Free Fall Explained
Since the ratio of weight
(F) to mass (m) is the
same for the 10-kg
cannonball and the 1-kg
stone, they both fall at the
same rate of acceleration.
Why?
Weight-mass ratios for
each are identical!
It takes a larger force to keep the
larger mass accelerating because a
larger mass has more inertia.
Acceleration due to Gravity
a = g = -9.8 m/s2
This acceleration
vector is the
same on the way
up, at the top,
and on the way
down!
- 9.8 m/s2 - 9.8 m/s2
Interpretation: Velocity decreases by 9.8 m/s each second,

meaning velocity is becoming less positive or more
negative. Less positive means slowing down while going
up. More negative means speeding up while going down.
Free Fall: dropped object (case 1)
 Initial velocity is zero

 Let up be positive
 Use the kinematic equations
vo= 0
 use y instead of x
a=-g
 Acceleration is
 ay = -g = -9.80 m/s2
Free Fall: object launched downward
(case 2)
 ay = -g = -9.80 m/s2
 Initial velocity vy,i < 0 vo≠ 0

 With upward being positive,
a = -g
initial velocity will be negative
Free Fall: object launched upward (case 3)
 Initial velocity is upward, so v=0

positive: vy,i > 0
 The instantaneous velocity vo≠ 0

at the maximum height is
zero. a = -g
 ay = -g = -9.80 m/s2
everywhere along the path,
even at maximum height.
Object Launched Upward.
 If the motion is symmetrical, i.e. end

point coincides with start point:
 Then tup = tdown (Time symmetry )
 Then vfinal = -vinitial (Speed symmetry )
 If the motion is not symmetrical:

 Break the motion into various parts
○ Generally up and down
SIGN CONVENTIONS
(1) Distances above the origin are positive,

while distances below the origin are
negative
(2) Upward velocities are positive, downward

velocities are negative
(3) g is always negative

Free Fall Example
 (Initial) velocity at A is …. and

acceleration is ….
 At B, the velocity is …. and

the acceleration is ….
 At C, the velocity is …. and

the acceleration is ….
 The total displacement is ….

Free Fall Example
 Initial velocity at A is upward

(+) and acceleration is -g (-
9.8 m/s2)
 At B, the velocity is 0 and

the acceleration is -g (-9.8
m/s2)
 At C, the velocity has the

same magnitude as at A, but
is in the opposite direction
 The displacement is –50.0 m
(it ends up 50.0 m below its
starting point)
Free fall: Motion with Uniform Acceleration
(along y-axis case)
 Acceleration is a constant
 Kinematic Equations
v f = vi + gt
1
y f = yi + (vi + v f )t
2
y f = yi + vi t + 12 gt 2
v f = vi + 2 g ( y f − yi )
2 2
a = g = -9.8 m/s2
Example
 A brick is dropped from 100 m up. Find
its impact velocity and air time.
v f = vi + gt y f = yi + 1 (vi + v f )t y f = yi + vit + 12 gt v f = vi + 2 g ( y f − yi )
2 2 2
 What is the air time?
2 2 2
2
Example
 A brick is dropped from 100 m up. Find
its impact velocity and air time.
2 2 2
2
Example
 What is the air time?
2 2 2
2
Problem Set
1. You’re riding a unicorn at 25 m/s and come to
a uniform stop at a red light 20 m downward
away. What’s your acceleration?
2. An arrow is shot straight up from a pit 12 m

below ground at 38 m/s.
a. Find its max height above ground.
b. At what times is it at ground level?

Free Fall

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Describing Motion

(along a vertical axis)

2) When a Skydiver jumps from a plane?

Without air resistance With air resistance

Eventually, their combined weight due to

They will stop accelerating and fall at a constant

If they did this near the surface of the moon,

 Acceleration does not depend on the

 The acceleration of an object in free fall

 Free fall motion is constantly

 Let upward be positive

F stands for the force (or weight in newtons) a = force/mass

• the weight-to-mass ratio is the same for these or any

Interpretation: Velocity decreases by 9.8 m/s each second,

 Initial velocity is zero

 Initial velocity vy,i < 0 vo≠ 0

 Initial velocity is upward, so v=0

 The instantaneous velocity vo≠ 0

 If the motion is symmetrical, i.e. end

 If the motion is not symmetrical:

(1) Distances above the origin are positive,

(2) Upward velocities are positive, downward

(3) g is always negative

 (Initial) velocity at A is …. and

 At B, the velocity is …. and

 At C, the velocity is …. and

 The total displacement is ….

 Initial velocity at A is upward

 At B, the velocity is 0 and

 At C, the velocity has the

 What is the air time?

2. An arrow is shot straight up from a pit 12 m

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