Acceleration due to

Gravity
Acceleration due to Gravity
► Gravity is a vector quantity.
► We will choose “up” as a positive direction,
so a falling object has a negative velocity.
► A free falling object has an acceleration is
-9.8 m/s2.
► Assume that there is no airresistance.
 There are a few conceptual characteristics of free fall motion that will be of
value when using the equations to analyze free fall motion. These concepts
are described as follows:

An object in free fall experiences an acceleration of -9.8 m/s/s.

(The - sign indicates a downward acceleration.) Whether
explicitly stated or not, the value of the acceleration in the
kinematic equations is -9.8 m/s/s for any freely falling object.
There are a few conceptual characteristics of free fall motion that will be of
value when using the equations to analyze free fall motion. These concepts
are described as follows:

If an object is merely dropped (as opposed to

being thrown) from an elevated height, then
the initial velocity of the object is 0 m/s.
 There are a few conceptual characteristics of free fall motion that will be of
value when using the equations to analyze free fall motion. These concepts
are described as follows:

If an object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical

direction, then it will slow down as it rises upward. The instant
at which it reaches the peak of its trajectory, its velocity is 0
m/s. This value can be used as one of the motion parameters in
the kinematic equations; for example, the final velocity (vf)
after traveling to the peak would be assigned a value of 0 m/s.
 There are a few conceptual characteristics of free fall motion that will be of
value when using the equations to analyze free fall motion. These concepts
are described as follows:

If an object is projected upwards in a perfectly vertical

direction, then the velocity at which it is projected is equal in
magnitude and opposite in sign to the velocity that it has when
it returns to the same height. That is, a ball projected vertically
with an upward velocity of +30 m/s will have a downward
velocity of -30 m/s when it returns to the same height.
Formula
d = ½ gt2
Vf = Vi + gt
Vf = Vi + 2gd
2 2

d = Vit + ½ gt2
If you drop a golf ball, how far does it fall in
½ sec?
A rocket is fired vertically upward with an initial velocity of 29 m/s.
find the rocket’s maximum altitude.
A ball is thrown straight up with a velocity of 4.6 m/s. How
long does the ball take to reach its maximum height?
A tennis ball is thrown straight up with an initial velocity of 22.5 m/s. It is caught at the
same distance above the ground from which it was thrown.
a. How high does the ball rise?
b. How long does the ball remain in the air?
A man is standing on the edge of a 20.0 m high cliff. He throws a rock vertically with an
initial velocity of 10.0 m/s.
a) How high does the rock go?
b) b) How long does it take to reach its max height?
Rex throws his mother's crystal vase vertically upwards with an initial velocity
of 26.2 m/s. Determine the height to which the vase will rise above its initial
height.
A coin is dropped in a vacuum tube, find its displacement after 0.30 seconds.
An object dropped on planet X falls 64 m in 4 seconds.
Find the acceleration due to gravity on planet X.
A basketball player jumped straight up to grab a rebound. If she was in the air
for 0.80 second, how high did she jump?
A ball drops from a tall building. The ball strikes the sidewalk 2.0 seconds
later. What is the velocity of the ball when it hits the sidewalk?
A stone is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 12.0 m/s from the edge of
a cliff 70.0 m high. How long does it take to reach the bottom of the cliff?