Physics
Vandebilt Catholic High School
W. Dupre

Free Fall: Questions

Free Fall: Questions - Level 1

  1. Suppose you stood at the edge of a cliff and threw a ball straight up with a certain speed. Suppose you threw another ball straight downward with the same speed. Neglecting air resistance, which ball would have the greatest speed when it strikes the ground below?

  2. If you drop an object in the absence of air resistance, it will accelerate toward the ground at 9.8 m/s2. If instead you throw it downward, will its acceleration immediately after the throw be greater, the same, or less than 9.8 m/s2? EXPLAIN.

  3. For a freely falling body dropped from rest, what is its acceleration sfter it has been falling for 5 s? EXPLAIN.

  4. For an object thrown straight upward, what is its speed at the top of its path? Its acceleration?

  5. On a distance planet in a far away galaxy an object will fall 184 m in 4 s. How far will the object fall in 6 s? What is its speed after 6 s?

  6. What is the value of "g" on the planet in question #5? Is this planet more massive or less massive than the earth? EXPLAIN.