Question

A brick is dropped from the top of a building. A second brick is thrown straight down from the same building.

a) The first brick has greater acceleration.
b) The second brick has greater acceleration.
c) Both bricks have the same acceleration.
d) It depends on the mass of each brick.

Answer 1

Both bricks have the same acceleration due to gravity, which is independent of their mass or whether one is thrown and the other dropped. The rate of acceleration for both is approximately 9.8 m/s^2. The correct answer is option C

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering the motion of two bricks, one dropped and the other thrown downward from the same height, their acceleration due to gravity is the same. According to the principles of physics, specifically Newton's second law of motion, acceleration is determined by the net force acting on an object and the object's mass. Since gravity is the only force acting on both bricks in the downward direction and assuming air resistance is negligible, they experience the same acceleration. This acceleration is independent of the mass of the bricks or whether one is thrown and the other is dropped.

The correct answer to the question is:

Since we are dealing with the acceleration due to gravity near the surface of Earth, the value for this acceleration (commonly denoted as g) is approximately 9.8 m/s2. It is important to note that while the second brick may have a greater initial velocity due to being thrown, the rate of acceleration for both bricks is the same as it is solely due to gravity.