Question

I've been told that every object falling towards the ground accelerate at the same rate (9.807m/s^2). If that is the case why doesn't a 3kg bowling ball and a 15kg bowling ball hit the ground at the same time? Why is it that the heavier you are the faster you fall to the ground?

Suppose a kid with mass 25kg is sliding down with a sleigh and a man is doing the same but the man weighs 3.5 times more (87.5kg). Who would come first? the man or the kid?

Thanks!

Answer 1

The heavier you are, the faster you fall into the ground because heavier objects have greater inertia than lighter objects. The man weighing 87.5 kg will fall faster than the kid weighing 25 kg.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gravity accelerates every object in the same way despite their individual masses. Every object falling into the earth has the same acceleration
`9.8 m/s^2`.

The change in speeds of falling is caused by air resistance affecting the falling objects. Every object moving through a fluid experiences a resistive force called drag.

Objects having a higher mass have higher inertia and due to this high inertia they are less affected by forces like drag. This is the reason why a heavy object falls faster to the earth than a light object.

Thus a 3kg bowling ball and 15 kg ball will fall to the earth at different times. The man weighing 87.5 kg will fall faster than the kid weighing 25 kg.