Final answer:
An object dropped from a high platform is accelerating downward due to the force of gravity, which is 9.80 m/s² near Earth's surface. Therefore the answer is a) The object is accelerating.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an object is dropped from a high platform, it is subject to the force of gravity and therefore it begins to accelerate downward. This acceleration continues until the object reaches terminal velocity, a condition that is not described in the provided question and is typically associated with extended periods of free fall where air resistance becomes a significant factor.
For the initial part of the fall, as described in the question, the correct statement is that the object is accelerating. According to the physics of free fall, the acceleration due to gravity near Earth's surface (9.80 m/s²), labeled g, causes objects to increase their velocity by 9.80 meters per second every second they are falling, assuming air resistance is negligible.
When an object is dropped from a high platform and moving downward, the statement that accurately describes its motion is:
a) The object is accelerating.
Acceleration is defined as a change in velocity, which includes changes in speed and/or direction. In this case, the object is accelerating because it is moving downward and gaining speed due to the force of gravity.