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Free Fall - help1

Free falling objects accelerate downward at a rate of approximately 10 m/s/s (or 9.8 m/s/s). As they move upward towards their highest point, they slow down. And as they fall downward from their highest position, they speed up. While the speed (and velocity) undergo these changes, the acceleration remains a constant value and is always directed downward.

There are three very similar versions of this question. Each version provides three dot diagrams and asks you to determine the one that is characteristic of free fall motion.

Version 1
Which of the dot diagrams best describe the motion of a free-falling object that is dropped from rest?
Diagram A
Diagram B
Diagram C

Free-falling objects accelerate downward as they fall. In this question, you must identify the dot diagram that corresponds to a free-falling object. Three options are provided: a constant speed option, a slowing down option, and a speeding up option. You must identify the speeding up option since a free-falling object speeds up as it falls.

Be sure to "read the diagram" from top to bottom since that is the direction that the falling object is moving. When objects speed up, they cover a greater and greater distance in each consecutive second of time. For this reason, the spacing between dots increases as the object falls.

Try the links below to our Tutorial for more information:

Free Fall: How Far? and How Fast?

Acceleration Caused by Gravity