Free Fall Calculator
Created By : Sunil Kumar Gandipadala
Reviewed By : Rajashekhar Valipishetty
Last Updated : Apr 10, 2023
Free Fall Calculator will determine the free fall energy of an object within fraction of seconds and makes your calculations much faster. You can easily find the velocity and the distance traveled by the falling object if all other related parameters are known by availing this handy tool.
What is Free Fall? If an object moves under the influence of gravitational force then it is said to be having free fall. The Only Acceleration acting is acceleration due to gravity(g). Air Friction will not exist on such objects.
However, it is not always necessary that an object in free fall is falling always. One such example is moon. Moon's motion meets all the conditions of a free fall, but it doesn't fall as its speed is not directed towards earth and moon moves with cosmic velocity and it develops a centrifugal force equal and opposite to force of gravity.
Free Fall Speed
From the definition of velocity we can write the velocity of a free fall object as v = v₀ + gt
Where v₀ usually stands for initial velocity and is expressed in m/s, or f/s
t is the fall time and is expressed in seconds.
g is the free fall acceleration and is measured in m/s² or ft/s²
Without considering the air resistance the gravitation would be around 9.80665 m/s or 32.17405 ft/s. Falling Object's Velocity is dependant on other velocity called terminal velocity.
What is Terminal Velocity?
Since Free Fall Acceleration is constant the gravitational force acting on an object is also constant. Usually, Air resistance increases with increase in free fall speed. At a certain point both the forces will have equal magnitude. As per Newton's First Law falling object will stop accelerating at some point and moves with a constant speed known as terminal velocity.
Equations of a Falling Body
In order to determine the distance traveled by a free falling object you need to first write down the equation of motion. Considering the initial displacement as zero we will have the equation as under
s = (1/2)gt²
If the object is having initial velocity then we need to consider it too and the equation is as follows
s = vΓéÇt + (1/2)gt²
From the equation it is clear that distance traveled by the object is proportional to the square of fall time. Thus, for each second the falling body will travel a larger distance compared to before.
From the Free Fall Formula we can say that distance is independent of the falling object. Supoose, if you throw a feather and brick both of them will hit the ground at the same time.
Free Fall Motion Examples
Use the simple example over here to understand how to use the free fall formula if you are still confused.
Example 1.
If an object is thrown with an initial velocity of 6 m/s. It takes 8 sec to travel and hit the ground back. Calculate the free fall speed just before hitting the ground?
Solution:
Given that
Initial Velocity (v₀) = 6 m/s
Time taken (t) = 8 seconds
We know the formula to find the free fall speed v = v₀ + gt
We have to convert 300 km/h to m/s as time is in seconds.
Substituting the input values we have the equation as such
v = 6 + 9.80665*8
v = 84.45 m/s
Example 2.
Find the free fall distance the body has traveled if the time taken by a body is 5 sec, and has an initial velocity of 8 m/s
Solution:
Given that
Initial Velocity (v₀) = 8 m/s
Time taken (t) = 5 seconds
We know the formula to calculate distance is s = vΓéÇt + (1/2)gt²
Substituting the input values in the formula to find distance we have the equation as follows
s = 8*5 + (1/2)*9.80665*5²
On further simplifying we will get the distance as s = 162.583 m
Physicscalc.Com has got concepts related to classical mechanics, rotational and periodic motion, waves, optics, gravity, and many more along with calculators all in one place.
FAQs on Free Fall Calculator
1. What is meant by free fall?
If the object is only under the influence of gravitational force then it is said to be having a free fall energy.No other forces including air resistance will act on such objects.
2. How do you calculate free fall?
Free Fall is nothing but an object falling freely without any forces acting on it other than gravity. You can calculate free fall using the formula s = (1/2)gt²
3. Is there acceleration in Free Fall?
Free Fall is a special case and has constant acceleration since the gravitational force is always constant and acts downwards.
4. Does Weight affect a free falling body's speed?
No, weight will not affect the object's falling speed. If two objects having identical shapes having different weights thrown at a time both will hit the ground at the same time.
