Final answer:
Objects in a gravitational field don't instantly crash into each other because of gravitational forces and the effect of air resistance. History shows misconceptions, such as the idea that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones and forces can't act at a distance, which hindered the understanding of gravity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to why objects don't instantly crash into other objects in the center when near a gravitational field. While the direct answer isn't provided in the details, we can infer that objects do not instantly crash into those at the center due to the gravitational forces acting equally on all objects, and the effect of other forces such as air resistance. Moreover, Galileo's experiments, as discussed in the details, showed that all objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum, which means that the mass of the objects does not affect the speed at which they fall in the absence of air resistance. Therefore, air resistance and gravitational forces explain why objects with greater surface areas are impacted differently than those with less surface area when falling near the surface of the Earth.
Concerning the fall rate of objects on Earth, option c is the correct answer. Some objects fall faster because of air resistance, which acts in the direction opposite the motion of the object and exerts more force on objects with more surface area. This is why a feather falls slower than a hammer; the feather has a larger surface area relative to its mass that encounters air resistance, slowing it down more than the hammer.
Significant advancement in the understanding of gravity was hindered in history due to misconceptions, such as the notion that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones and that forces couldn't act at a distance. These ideas persisted because they aligned with common sense observations of that era and because air resistance was not yet understood or accounted for properly.