0
If you drop a feather and a rock on the moon why do they fall at the same rate?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
On the earth, there's air resistance that acts on the feather to keep it from reaching the ground as fast as a rock. On the moon, there's no such force, hence both bodies fall at exactly the same rate -- no matter how high up, no matter how much mass the bodies have, if they are released with the same force, they'll keep travelling at the same rate.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Corey Musgrave
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoOn Earth too - if the objects are massive enough, and don't fall to far, so that air resistance can be ignored.
One way to visualize this is that if object "B" has twice the mass of object "A", it will be attracted with twice the force. However, it will also have twice the inertia.
In a vacuum (on the moon) the objects do not have to have the same mass.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoYes, because that's the way the force of gravity behaves. Acceleration due to gravity is not dependent on mass of the object that is dropped. The air, which the object is falling through, creates a force against the direction of motion. The 'air drag' is dependent on the shape and size of the object. On the surface of the moon, there is no air to provide resistance to motion.
This air resistance effect is used effectively by parachutes (which therefore wouldn't work on the moon).
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoBecause that's the way gravity works.
The force between the earth and every object is proportional to the product of the
earth's mass times the object's mass. Since the earth's mass doesn't change, that's
the same as saying that the force of gravity on different objects is proportional to
their different masses.
But an object's acceleration is proportional to the force on it, and inversely proportional
to its mass. So the mass neatly cancels out of this pair of equations, and we're left with
one equation that says that every mass falls to earth with the same acceleration.
I'll have to admit, this would be a lot easier to put across for you if we could do it with
a chalk and a blackboard.
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoAtmosphere on earth causes friction, which causes drag, which makes objects fall at different rates. Because there is no atmosphere to slow things down on the moon, all objects on the moon fall at the same rate of speed.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoIn a vacuum there is no air so there is no air resistance that affects the object. Outside of a vacuum, the feather has a greater air resistance than a rock so it'll fall at a slower rate
Wiki User
∙ 13y agothere is no air resistance in a vacuum, so both will fall at 9.8m/s
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoAir resistance. If you were in a perfect vacuum, they would both land at the same time.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Do objects fall at the same rate on a planet with no atmosphere?
No, because there is no air to slow the down. For deeper analysis, check youtube, hammer and feather experiment on the moon. They hit the ground at the same time on the moon because there is no atmosphere, but if you drop a hammer and a feather on earth the hammer, obviously, hits first.
How does the mass of an object affect the rate of its fall?
It won't affect the rate of fall, which is 9.8m/s2. If you drop a bowling ball and a crumpled ball of paper from the same height, they will land at the same time. The earth's gravity determines the rate of fall. During the Apollo 15 moon landing, a feather and a hammer were dropped from the same height and they landed at the same time. The moon's gravity determined their rate of fall. Refer to the related link to see the demonstration.
Why will a feather and an apple fall at the same rate in a vacuum?
because it does
Can a quarter and a feather fall at the same speed?
theoritically yes. if they are placed in a vacuum packed room with no air, just empty space, they can fall at the same rate. if they fell in air, the aerodynamics wouldn't equal out, so the quarter would fall faster.
What affect would a vacuum have on falling objects?
All object fall at the same rate in a vacuum. If you drop a feather and a bowling ball at the same time in a vacuum, they would hit the ground at the same time.
Do objects fall at the same rate on a planet with no atmosphere?
No, because there is no air to slow the down. For deeper analysis, check youtube, hammer and feather experiment on the moon. They hit the ground at the same time on the moon because there is no atmosphere, but if you drop a hammer and a feather on earth the hammer, obviously, hits first.
How does the mass of an object affect the rate of its fall?
It won't affect the rate of fall, which is 9.8m/s2. If you drop a bowling ball and a crumpled ball of paper from the same height, they will land at the same time. The earth's gravity determines the rate of fall. During the Apollo 15 moon landing, a feather and a hammer were dropped from the same height and they landed at the same time. The moon's gravity determined their rate of fall. Refer to the related link to see the demonstration.
Why will a feather and an apple fall at the same rate in a vacuum?
because it does
When an object is drop disregarding air resistance does a heavier object take less time to fall or have bigger final velocity?
No, neglecting air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate regardless of their mass or shape. Galileo was right about this, as proved on the Apollo 15 mission to the moon. An astronaut on the moon (where there is no air) simultaneously dropped a hammer and feather, and they both fell straight down at the same rate, and hit the ground at the same time.
Can a quarter and a feather fall at the same speed?
theoritically yes. if they are placed in a vacuum packed room with no air, just empty space, they can fall at the same rate. if they fell in air, the aerodynamics wouldn't equal out, so the quarter would fall faster.
What affect would a vacuum have on falling objects?
All object fall at the same rate in a vacuum. If you drop a feather and a bowling ball at the same time in a vacuum, they would hit the ground at the same time.
Why would a feather and an elephant fall at the same time in a vacuum?
Because a feather has more air resistance, it normally falls slower, but in a vacuum, there is not air resistance so they fall at the same rate. Think of it as a feather and an elephant falling in space.
Which falls faster a quarter or feather?
the feather falls faster. The quarter falls faster if the height is very tall. When the hight is about a foot or so the feather falls faster. Try it for yourself :)
When a body of mass 10 kg and 100 kg fall from a height of 100 m which will reach first?
It depends on their relative air resistance. If air resistance were not a factor, the objects would actaully all fall at the same rate. Astronauts confirmed this during a lunar landing by dropping a hammer and a feather. Since the moon lacks an atmosphere, which ordinarily greatly reduces the rate at which a feather will fall, the hammer and the feather fell at the same rate. No matter how massive an object, if wind resistance is not factored in, all objects fall at the same rate on the earth's surface. Higher-mass objects will have more momentum because of their mass (and thus do more damage if they hit something), but have the same 9.8 meters/second2 acceleration on the surface of Earth due to gravity.
Which ball drops to the ground faster?
They all drop at the same rate. Only objects that are fuzzy in some way drop slower because air resistance slows them a little. If there were no air, a feather and a cannon ball would drop at the exact same rate.
Disregarding air resistance objects fall at constant?
What you mean is, "Disregarding air resistance, do objects fall at the same rate?" or something similar. In the absence of atmosphere, all objects free fall at the same rate. So if you drop a feather and a 10 lb weight from identical heights in perfect vacuum (or vacume depending on which spelling you prefer) they will land at the same time.
Does mass affect the rate at which something falls?
In free fall, mass has no effect on the rate at which something falls, the only two factors affecting it are gravity and air resistance. If you were to drop a feather and a book, the book would only hit the ground first because the feather has more air resistance (the book's mass does not come into play, and gravity is constant). It's a bit confusing, but I hope this helps. Xx
