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Why do objects of different mass fall to earth at the same rate?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
As objects get heavier, two different things are happening: they experience a greater gravitational attraction to the Earth, but they also have more inertia, requiring greater force in order to accelerate them. As it turns out, these two things cancel each other out exactly. That is why, excluding air resistance, everything falls at exactly the same rate, no matter how heavy or light a given falling object may be. Another way of putting this is that gravitational mass and inertial mass are the same. Physicists are not entirely sure why they are the same, and this remains an important question of theoretical physics.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoIt depends what the surface of the object is so like a sail can catch wind because flat and not round which would cause the wind to go around the object so if you think about it a heavy flat object might fall at the same rate as a light round object
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe gravitational force on an object is proportional to its mass; that is, if you double the mass of the object, then the gravitational force on that object also doubles. Also, force is DEFINED as mass times acceleration*.
So lets say the force F of gravity is F=Gm where G is something that does NOT depend on mass. and m is the mass of an object. Well by definition, F = ma, where a is the acceleration. Combining the definition of force with the gravitational force suggests F=Gm=ma=F, or by dividing each side by m, G=a.
Now, like I said, G doesn't depend on m, and since G=a, a doesn't depend on m. The acceleration of an object due to gravitation does not depend on the mass of the object.
*Actually force is defined as the time rate of change of momentum, but if mass is constant, then the time rate of momentum is just mass times acceleration.
In an electric field, the electric force on an object does NOT depend on the object's mass, so if Earth had an electric field instead of a gravitational field, then objects with greater mass would not fall as fast and objects with less mass (under the same force).
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoObjects of different masses free-fall at the same acceleration because they are subjected to the same gravity. Even though they may have different masses, and thus have different forces of gravity (weight), their inertia will counteract the force of gravity and cause them to accelerate at the same rate.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoOn Earth this does not happen because of the air. If Earth were to have for example, no air then objects would fall at the same rate.
To prove this, take two identical pieces of paper. Scrunch one up into a ball but leave the other one alone. Drop them together at the same time on Earth and the scrunched paper will drop before the straight paper. On a planet without air, if you drop the scrunched piece of paper and the smooth paper at the same time, they would reach the ground at the same time.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoWhen something falls from somwhere its because of gravity
and gravity has an exact speed so everything falls at the same rate
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoObjects fall to the ground because the acceleration due to gravity is the same for all objects near Earth's surface.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThey don't.
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Do objects of same mass but of different shapes fall at the same rate?
Yes. Also, objects of different mass, whether or not they have the same shape. With normal Earth gravity, i.e., near the Earth's surface, they will accelerate at about 9.8 meters/second2. This assumes that air resistance can be neglected; once air resistance becomes significant, the acceleration will be less.
Why do objects have different mass?
Objects have different mass because they not weighted the same..
Does earth pull all objects with same force?
No. The two-way force of gravity between the earth and any object is proportional tothe mass of the object.The thing that's constant for all objects, regardless of their mass, is their acceleration,as the earth and the object fall toward each other.
Why do heavier objects fall more slowly than lighter objects?
They don't. The basic physics behind the situation says that all objects fall together, regardless of their mass, weight, race, color, creed, national origin, or political affiliation. In the reral world, especially on Earth, we occasionally see things falling at different rates.
Do objects with the same mass but a different density fall at the same rate?
In vacuum, yes. Otherwise the object with a lower density will fall more slowly.
Who found (discovered) that objects of different mass and weight fall at the same rate?
Who found (discovered) that objects of different mass and weight fall at the same rate
Do objects of the same mass of different shapes fall at the same rate?
Yes. Also, objects of different mass, whether or not they have the same shape. With normal Earth gravity, i.e., near the Earth's surface, they will accelerate at about 9.8 meters/second2. This assumes that air resistance can be neglected; once air resistance becomes significant, the acceleration will be less.
Do objects of same mass but of different shapes fall at the same rate?
Yes. Also, objects of different mass, whether or not they have the same shape. With normal Earth gravity, i.e., near the Earth's surface, they will accelerate at about 9.8 meters/second2. This assumes that air resistance can be neglected; once air resistance becomes significant, the acceleration will be less.
Why is the mass of an object the same on the moon as it is on earth but the objects weight is different?
That is because Earth has more gravity. Weight = mass x gravity.
How are objects around you affected by mass of earth?
The objects around you and me are affected by the mass of earth by gravity
Do objects of the same mass but of different shape fall at the same rate?
in a vacuum, yes, all objects would fall at the same rate, but otherwise no due to air friction
Why do objects have different mass?
Objects have different mass because they not weighted the same..
If the Earth has 81 times the mass of the Moon then why don't objects 81 times smaller than our body's mass orbit us?
They could if you and the small objects were isolated in space. On Earth, those objects are much more strongly attracted to the Earth and would simply fall to its surface. Essentially, the Earth's gravitational field overwhelms our own.
Far away from earth do objects have mass?
Yes. The mass is basically independent of any attracting objects, such as Earth.
Why dont heavy objects fall faster than light ones?
-- Gravity pulls harder on objects with more mass than it does on objects with less mass. -- But objects with more mass need more force on them to accelerate as fast as objects with less mass. -- So it all balances out . . . no matter how much mass an object has, every object on Earth falls with the same acceleration.
Does earth pull all objects with same force?
No. The two-way force of gravity between the earth and any object is proportional tothe mass of the object.The thing that's constant for all objects, regardless of their mass, is their acceleration,as the earth and the object fall toward each other.
Why do heavier objects fall more slowly than lighter objects?
They don't. The basic physics behind the situation says that all objects fall together, regardless of their mass, weight, race, color, creed, national origin, or political affiliation. In the reral world, especially on Earth, we occasionally see things falling at different rates.
