Final answer:
The fact that all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of mass implies that gravity is a universal force affecting all masses equally. This is consistent with Newton's law of gravitation and supports the equivalence principle, which is fundamental to general relativity.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the acceleration of objects dropped from a height does not depend on the object's mass, as demonstrated by Galileo's experiment, it implies a fundamental aspect of the force of gravity. Essentially, this indicates that gravity acts equally on all masses, and it is the reason for the constant acceleration of objects in free fall on Earth, when air resistance is not a factor. According to Newton's law of gravitation, which extends Galileo's observations, gravity is a universal force of attraction that exists between all masses. This universal gravitation results in all objects accelerating at the same rate (approximately 9.81 m/s2 near the surface of Earth) regardless of their mass.
Galileo's findings support the concept that inertial mass, which measures an object's resistance to acceleration, is equivalent to gravitational mass, which measures an object's ability to attract and be attracted by other masses. This assumption is called the equivalence principle and forms a cornerstone of Einstein's theory of general relativity, which further explores the relationship between gravity and acceleration.
The most correct answer to the GRASP CHECK would be option a: Heavy objects do not fall faster than the light objects because while conserving the mechanical energy of the system, the mass term gets cancelled and the velocity is independent of the mass. In real life, the variation in the velocity of the different objects is observed because of the non-zero air resistance.