Is gravitational acceleration the rate at which things fall, or the rate at which things speed up?

Question

for instance, if i drop a ball, would it instantly reach 9.8mps2 (assuming there is no air resistance) or will its speed increase by that each second. could you please site sorces, this is an argument and my mom is a skeptical person

Answer 1

Acceleration is a measure of the rate of CHANGE of velocity. When you drop the ball, at the instant it leaves your hand its velocity is 0. But the velocity immediately begins changing - and will continue changing - by 9.8 m/s every second that it falls freely.

In one second, its velocity will be 9.8 m/s. Another second, another 9.8 m/s - now it's 19.6 m/s. Another second, and it's 29.4 m/s. And so on, until air resistance prevents it from speeding up any further (terminal velocity) or it hits something.

In a car, which can't maintain continuous acceleration very long, stomping on the gas pedal from a dead stop will throw you back in your seat - you've got maximum acceleration. But you're still barely moving - you've got minimum velocity. Same with dropping a ball in air. Velocity minimum at acceleration maximum.

Answer 2

Gravity is a force between objects. Object don't fall, but attract each other. When you jump from a certain height to the earth, you think you fall, because you have some strange sense of up and down built in your head. But in fact you and the earth are pulling on each other. This means you move towards the earth, and the earth moves towards you, with increasing speed (the acceleration), until you both touch. The forces holding together the matter of the earth are much bigger than gravitational force, so that's why you don't fall through the earth.
Then why doesn't your fall pull the earth out of it's orbit around the sun? The gravitational force of an object is dependent on the mass of the object. Your mass is much less than that of the world, so your pull on the world will much less than the other way around.
If you drop something, it will start with speed 0 at the moment you let go, and increase speed with it's gravitational acceleration. After 1 second it will have a speed of 9.8 m/s.

Answer 3

the clarification your feather hit later than the coin is with the help of the fact it grow to be slowed by way of air resistance. an person-friendly thank you to illustrate this could be to apply a e book somewhat of a coin. Drop the e book and the feather area by way of area, and notice which hits the floor first. Then place the feather on precise of the bok (so it won't adventure any air resistance) and then drop them and notice if the feather falls slower.

Answer 4

It instantly reaches 9.8m/s^2 AND its speed increases at that rate. 9.8m/s^2 is a rate of acceleration, not a rate of speed.