Question

Use the terms velocity and acceleration to explain why it might take less and less time for falling objects to fall the same distance (for example, another 4 m) the longer they fall? (Hint: Consider whether the falling objects move with constant speed or accelerate.)

a) Falling objects accelerate due to gravity, increasing velocity over time.
b) Falling objects maintain constant velocity, reducing time over distance.
c) Acceleration decreases with time, reducing the time to fall a fixed distance.
d) Objects fall faster due to air resistance, reducing the time taken.

Answer 1

Objects fall faster over time due to acceleration caused by gravity, resulting in less time taken to travel the same distance.

Step-by-step explanation:

When objects fall, they experience acceleration due to gravity, which causes their velocity to increase over time. This means that the longer an object falls, the faster it will be moving. Since velocity is the rate of change of displacement over time, objects with greater velocities will take less time to travel the same distance as objects with lower velocities. Therefore, it takes less and less time for falling objects to fall the same distance as they continue to accelerate due to gravity.