Question

Two objects are dropped from a bridge, an interval of 1.0 s apart. Air resistance is negligible. During the time that both objects continue to fall, what happens to their separation?

1) The separation between the objects increases
2) The separation between the objects decreases
3) The separation between the objects remains constant
4) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The separation between two objects dropped from a bridge at different times will increase during their fall when air resistance is negligible, due to constant gravitational acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When two objects are released from the same height at different times and air resistance is negligible, their separation increases over time because they are both in free-fall under the force of gravity. Since gravity accelerates all objects at the same rate regardless of their mass, and the second object starts its fall 1.0 s after the first, it will always be behind by that 1.0 s of free-fall, which means their separation will increase as they both continue to fall. Given that gravity acts on the objects at an acceleration of 9.80 m/s², the second object is always getting farther away from the first because it has not reached the same velocity as the first object at any given instant after being released.