Question

Use the table of data for two falling rocks to answer the question.

Mass (kg)
Height of Fall (m)
Time to Fall (s)
Rock 1 Rock 2
2.5
78.4
4.0
25
78.4
?
Based on this data, how many seconds will it take rock 2 to fall?

Answer 1

Both rocks will take the same amount of time to fall from the same height; rock 2 will fall for 4.0 seconds, the same as rock 1, regardless of their mass differences.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how many seconds it will take for rock 2 to fall, we can use the fact that the height of the fall and the acceleration due to gravity are constant. Thus, both rocks, despite having different masses, will fall for the same amount of time due to the principle of equivalence in gravitational fields, where Galileo postulated that objects will fall at the same rate regardless of their masses.

Given that rock 1, with a mass of 2.5 kg, takes 4.0 seconds to fall from a height of 78.4 meters, rock 2 with any mass would take the same amount of time to fall from the same height. Therefore, rock 2 will also take 4.0 seconds to fall.