Free fall is when something is falling and the only force acting on it is gravity. Here’s what that means:
Gravity's Influence:
- Gravity pulls the object down towards the Earth.
- This pull makes the object speed up as it falls.
- On Earth, the speed increases by about 9.8 meters per second every second (m/s²).
No Other Forces:
- For true free fall, nothing else should be slowing the object down, like air resistance or someone pushing it.
- The object should only be under the influence of gravity.
Examples of Free Fall:
- Falling Objects: If you drop an apple, it’s in free fall (if we ignore air resistance).
- Skydiver: A skydiver before opening the parachute is in free fall.
- Raindrop: A raindrop falling through the air is in free fall (again if we ignore air resistance).
Satellites in Orbit:
- Satellites are in free fall too. They keep falling towards Earth but also move sideways fast enough to keep missing it, so they stay in orbit.
Important Points:
- Weightlessness: In free fall, you feel weightless because you’re falling at the same rate as the gravitational pull. This is what astronauts feel in space.
- Air Resistance: On Earth, air resistance can slow down falling objects, making them fall at a steady speed after a while (this is called terminal velocity).
In summary, free fall is when something is falling under the pull of gravity alone, without any other forces acting on it.