ACCELERATION OF GRAVITY. (Free fall and vertical shot).

Bodies in free fall are nothing more than a particular case of uniformly
accelerated rectilinear motion, with the characteristic that the acceleration is
due to the action of gravity.
A body has free fall if it descends on the surface of the earth and does
not suffer any resistance caused by the air.
Therefore, when the air resistance on bodies is so small that it can be
neglected, it is possible to interpret its movement as a free fall. It is common for
any of us to observe the fall of bodies on the surface of the earth, but have you
wondered how long it takes for two bodies of different sizes to fall from the
same height and simultaneously?
An answer to this question would be, for example, experimenting with a
sheet of paper and a notebook. It is observed that the sheet of paper falls more
slowly and with an irregular movement, while the notebook falls vertically and is
the first to reach the ground. Now we make a ball with the sheet of paper and let
it fall simultaneously with the notebook, and here, the result will be that both
bodies fall vertically and at the same time, because by compressing the sheet of
paper the effect of air resistance.
When a bird feather, a stone and a coin are dropped simultaneously in a
vacuum tube, their fall will be vertical and at the same time, regardless of their
size and weight, so their movement is in free fall.
In conclusion, all bodies, whether large or small, in the absence of
friction, fall to the earth with the same acceleration.
Gravitational acceleration produces a uniformly varied movement on
bodies in free fall, so their speed increases constantly, while the acceleration
remains constant.
The acceleration of gravity is always directed downwards and it is
customary to represent it with the letter g, and for practical purposes it is given a
value of:
g = 9.8 m/s 2 (International System)
g = 32 ft/s 2 (English System)
To solve free fall problems, the same equations of uniformly accelerated
rectilinear motion are used, but it is customary to change the letter a of
acceleration to g, which represents the acceleration of gravity, and the letter d
of distance to h, which represents the height, so these equations are seen in the
following tables.

GENERAL EQUATIONS (When the mobile phone has an initial velocity).

vf = vi + gt
h = vf + vi (t)
2
vf 2 = vi 2 +2 gd
h = vi t + at 2
2
SPECIAL EQUATIONS (When the mobile phone or object is dropped).
VI =0
vf = at
h = ½ vf t
vf 2 = 2gh
h = ½ at 2

VERTICAL SHOT
This movement occurs when a body is projected in a straight line
upward. Its speed will decrease rapidly until it reaches some point at which it is
momentarily at rest; then it will fall back, acquiring again, upon reaching the
ground, the same speed that it had when it was thrown. This shows that the
time taken to rise to the highest point of its trajectory is equal to the time taken
to fall from there to the ground. This implies that upward movements are
precisely equal to downward movements, but reversed, and that the time and
speed for any point along the path are given by the same equations for the free
fall of bodies. .
Whether the body moves up or down, the acceleration due to gravity g is
always downward.

PROBLEMS OF FREE FALL AND VERTICAL SHOT.

1.- A stone is dropped from the roof of a building and it takes 4 s to reach
the ground. Calculate the h of the building.

Data: Formula: Substitution:

VO = 0

t = 4s
g = 9.8 m/s 2 h = 78.4 m
h =?

2.- A child drops a ball from a window that is 60 m above the ground.
How long will it take to fall?

Data: Substitution formula.

V o = 0

h = 60 m
t = 3.49 s
 g = 9.8 m/s 2
t =?

2
3.- A body is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 29.4 m/s .
Calculate:
a) How high will it have risen in the first second?
2
V 0 = 29.4 m/s

g = -9.8 m/s 2
h = 24.5 m

b) What speed will it take to the first second?

Vo = 29.4 m/s 2
Vf = 0
t = 1s vf = 19.6 m/s

c) What maximum height will it reach?

Vo = 29.4 m/s 2

Vf = 0
h = 44.1 m
g = -9.8 m/s

d) How long will it take to rise?

Vo = 29.4 m/s 2
 Vf = 0
t = 3s
g = -9.8 m/s
h = 44.1 m

5.- A stone thrown upward takes 2.8 seconds in the air before hitting the ground
a) How high did it go? b) With what speed does it reach the floor?
9-604

1.45 1.45

Data
t = 2.8 sec 2.8 seg.
h =?
V1 =?
g = 9.8 m/s 2

h ½ gt 2
h ½ (9.8 m/s 2 )(1.4 sec) 2
h ½ (9.8 m/s 2 )(1.96 sec)
h = 9.604 m

vf = at
vf = gt
vf = (9.8 m/s 2 )(1.4 sec)
vf = 13.72 m/s

6.- An object is dropped from the roof of a building and it takes 3.1 sec. crashing
into the floor. a) How tall is the building? b) With what speed does it hit the
floor?
Data
t= 3.1 sec.
g= 9.8 m/S 2
h=?
vf=?

h= ½ gt 2
h= ½ (9.8m/s 2 ) (1.55 sec.) 2
h= ½ (9.8 m/s 2 ) (2.402 sec.) 2
h= 11.76 m.
Vf = at
Vf = gt
Vf = (9.8 m/s 2 ) (1.55 sec.)
Vf = 15.19 m/s
7.- DETERMINE THE AVERAGE SPEED OF A MOBILE WHICH HAS AN
INITIAL SPEED OF 3M/S AND ITS FINAL SPEED IS 4.2 M/S

Vo= 3 m/s
Vf= 4.2 m/s 3m/s + 4.2m/s = 7.2 m/s = 3.6m/s
2 2

8.- CALCULATE THE TIME IN HOURS IN WHICH A CAR MAKES A

DISPLACEMENT OF 3KM IF IT HAS AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 50KM/HR TO
THE NORTH

D= 3km t= d
V= 50km/hr v 3km
T=? 50km/hr =0.06hrs

9.- A CAR HAS AN INITIAL SPEED OF 20KM/HR TO THE NORTH AND

AFTER 4 SECONDS ITS SPEED IS 50KM/HRS CALCULATE A)
ACCELERATION B) ITS DISPLACEMENT
Vo= 20km/hr
Vf=50km/hr
T=4sec
A=?
D=?

1)Convert 50km/hr and 20km/hr am/s

50 km X 1000mts X 1hr
hr 1km 3600 sec =13.88m/s

20 km X 1000mts X 1hr
hr 1km 3600 sec =5.55m/s

2)substitute the equation a= Vf – Vo

T
a= 13.88m/s – 5.55m/s = 8.33m/s =2.08 m/s 2
4sec 4sec
a=2.08 m/s 2
3) substitute the equation d=Vo t + ½ at 2
D= (5.55 m/s) (4sec) +(1/2) (2.08 m/s 2 ) (4sec) 2
D=22.2m + (1/2) (2.08 m/s 2 ) 16sec 2
D=22.2m + 16.64m
D=38.84 m

10.- A SOCCER BALL IS DROPPED FROM A WINDOW, IT TAKES 5S TO

REACH THE GROUND. CALCULATE.
a) from what height did it fall.
 Vo=0

g =- 9.8 m/s 2
t = 5s
h = -122.5 m

b) With what speed does it fall to the ground?

vf = 49 m/s

11.- A STONE IS RELEASED INTO THE VACUUM FROM A HEIGHT

120M CALCULATE A) THE TIME IT TAKES TO FALL B) WITH WHAT
FALLING SPEED

H= 120m t= √ 2h
G= -9.8m/s 2g
T=?
T= √ 2 (120m) = √ 240m = √ 24.48s 2 = 4.94s
-9.8m/s 2 -9.8m/s 2