do heavier objects fall faster than lighter objects?
why?
2006-09-01 08:37:31 · 13 answers · asked by butterfly 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
i don't understand this thing about galileo's experiment
2006-09-01 08:41:47 · update #1
so, erm what galileo did...He dropped 2 objects of different masses which fell down at the same time. Soooo, what's this thing about air resistance then? air resistance should have slowed down the lighter object right? i'm lost :(
2006-09-01 09:17:13 · update #2
in a vacuum....no
with air resistance and object dimensions taken into account...possibly
since there is no air resistance in a vacuum a feather (light) vs ball bearing (heavy) fall at the same rate even though the ball is heavier.
air resistance determines how fast something falls and what that object's terminal velocity is on earth.
a feather's terminal velocity is much lower than a ball bearing so it reaches its maximum fall rate sooner and stay aloft longer.
2006-09-01 08:39:43 · answer #1 · answered by uqlue42 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are right. The point is that all objects are initially accelerated by gravity at exactly the same rate regardless of mass but as the effect of wind resistance begins to dominate they reach different terminal velocities and for a common shape the terminal velocity is dependant on mass. The way to think about it is in terms of Forces. Force = Mass x Acceleration , thus a large mass accelerating at the same rate as a small mass (ie in gravity) has a much larger force operating on it. Air resistance creates a force in the opposite direction that is only dependant on the shape and the speed. So objects will keep getting faster until the two forces balance and since heavy objects have more force from gravity, they will need to go faster before air resistance matches it. As an aside, I never really got why all objects accelerate at the same rate in gravity. One way to think about it is that if you have two identical objects they both fall at the same rate. If you then join them together each one still falls at the same rate despite the combined system being heavier. The other way to see it is to remember inertia. When you try to move a heavy object it resists any change in velocity and this is no different for objects falling under gravity They get a bigger attraction due to their bigger mass but equally they are more reluctant to accelerate, also due to their mass.
2016-03-27 03:34:00 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No no no.
This is what Galileo did 400 years ago. Gravity affects all things equally.
A 50 pound of sand and a 300 pound anvil will drop at the same rate. Gravity is CONSTANT.
Any differences in landing would be from the minor differences in air currents.
Think of this example. A 10 pound ball is dropped from a tall building... There it goes, faster and faster. 1/2 way down, due to some defect, the 10 pound ball splits exactly into 2 pieces. Will those pieces suddenly slow down because they are less weight? Of course not.
Gravity is Constant
2006-09-01 08:55:42 · answer #3 · answered by words_smith_4u 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they accelerate at the same speed. but a heavier object would take longer to reach the point when air Resistance on the object equaled the force of gravity (terminal velocity) and so would in a long fall have a higher top speed.
2006-09-01 08:42:19 · answer #4 · answered by bretttwarwick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Galileo proved this by dropping 2 balls from Pisa tower.
Reason the acceleration is same for both objects.
applied force = Weight = mg = ma
mass cancels out. So since acceleration is same they travel at the same velocity assuming no friction in the air.
2006-09-01 09:05:31 · answer #5 · answered by Dr M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With regard to your additional ?:
"The thing about air resistance" is that your original ? didn't mention it. Ergo, we must assume that you're talking about things falling on earth through its atmosphere. In this case, each one will have a different TERMINAL VELOCITY, or maximum speed it will reach. Only in the absence of an atmosphere will they fall at the same speed.
2006-09-01 09:40:34 · answer #6 · answered by Steve 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. not in the absence of wind (or air) resistance. The effect of gravity is the same on a lead ball as it is on a paper ball.
2006-09-01 08:44:51 · answer #7 · answered by Bob S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. Not in a vacuum. In air you can measure a slight difference.
They fall at the same speed because the acceleration of gravity is 9.8m/s².
Doug
2006-09-01 08:41:39 · answer #8 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
theoretically, they don't. but if there is wind or something, than the reaction force acts on the lighter object (if it has an equal volume with the hevier object), and it slows it
2006-09-01 09:05:36 · answer #9 · answered by anthony 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope everything falls at the same speed.
Eg. a baseball and bowling ball will fall at the exact same speed
2006-09-01 08:46:28 · answer #10 · answered by richbogdanski 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋