Question

Two balls of similar size are dropped from the same height. Ball 1 has mass (m_1), and Ball 2 has mass (m_2). Assume no air resistance. Right before they hit the ground:

a) The gravitational force acting on Ball 1 is greater than that on Ball 2.
b) The gravitational force acting on Ball 2 is greater than that on Ball 1.
c) The gravitational force acting on Ball 1 is equal to that on Ball 2.
d) The acceleration of Ball 1 is greater than that of Ball 2.

Answer 1

The gravitational force acting on Ball 1 is equal to that on Ball 2.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is c) The gravitational force acting on Ball 1 is equal to that on Ball 2. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, the gravitational force between two objects depends on the masses of the objects and the distance between them. Since the size and height of the balls are the same, their masses are also the same. Therefore, the gravitational force acting on both balls is equal. This result is a consequence of Galileo's principle of falling bodies, stating that the mass of an object does not affect its rate of free fall in a vacuum, only the air resistance or other external forces can introduce variations.