Final answer:
In an idealized experiment without air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate due to a constant acceleration caused by gravity. However, with air resistance, denser and more aerodynamic objects fall faster than those with larger surface areas and lighter densities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to an experiment designed to observe the rate of free-fall of different objects when dropped from a similar height without air resistance. The underlying physics concept is that the acceleration due to gravity (9.80 m/s2) is constant for all objects irrespective of their mass, given that air resistance and friction are negligible. When the experiment is performed, objects such as a crumpled paper ball, an uncrumpled paper, a marble, a ball, and a spoon should theoretically hit the ground simultaneously when dropped from the same height.
However, the presence of air resistance can cause lighter objects, like an uncrumpled piece of paper, to fall slower than denser objects, like a marble or a ball. Hence, the object that falls the fastest in the absence of air resistance would be all objects at the same rate, but if air resistance is accounted for, the denser, more aerodynamic objects would fall faster.