Question

An object falling to Earth in the absence of air resistance:?

1) slows down
2) falls with constant speed of 32 m/s
3) falls with a constant speed of 9.8 m/s
4) falls with constant acceleration of 9.8 m/s²

Answer 1

An object falling to Earth in the absence of air resistance falls with constant acceleration of 9.8 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

In the absence of air resistance, an object falling to Earth experiences constant acceleration due to gravity. The correct option is 4) falls with constant acceleration of 9.8 m/s².

When an object is dropped or falls freely, it accelerates at a constant rate of 9.8 m/s² towards the center of the Earth. This means that the object's speed increases by 9.8 meters per second every second.

A common example is dropping a ball from a certain height. As the ball falls, it gains speed due to the constant acceleration until it reaches its terminal velocity, which is the maximum speed it can attain without air resistance.