Name: free-fall acceleration on earth
Uploaded: 2023-09-22T11:49:39.000Z
Duration: 55 s
Channel: JoVE

Consider a lady pushing a luggage cart as she moves. The external force exerted by her accelerates the cart in the direction of the applied force.
If she pushes with a greater force, the cart will move faster. To stop the cart, she needs to apply an external force in the direction opposite to her motion.
If she places more luggage on the cart, the same force produces a smaller acceleration in the direction of the net external force.
Compiling these, we get Newton&#39;s second law of motion, which states that an object accelerates proportionally and in the direction of the net external force and inversely to its mass.
Or, the net external force acting on an object is the product of its mass and its acceleration.&#160;All accelerating objects follow Newton&#39;s second law.

acceleration due to gravity on earth

Newton&#39;s second law is closely related to his first law of motion. It mathematically gives the cause-and-effect relationship between force and changes in motion. Newton&#39;s second law is quantitative and is used extensively to calculate what happens in situations involving a force. All external forces acting on a system add together to produce a net force Fnet. A larger net external force produces a larger acceleration. This acceleration is directly proportional to, and in the same direction as, the net external force acting on a system.
Further, it also seems reasonable that acceleration should be inversely proportional to the mass of a system. In other words, the larger the mass (the inertia), the smaller the acceleration produced by a given force. Experiments have shown that acceleration is exactly inversely proportional to mass, just as it is directly proportional to net external force. It has been found that the acceleration of an object depends only on the net external force and the mass of the object. Combining the two proportionalities yields Newton&#39;s second law, which states: The acceleration of a system is directly proportional to and in the same direction as the net external force acting on the system, and is inversely proportional to its mass.
The second law describes how a body responds mechanically to its environment. The influence of the environment is the net force, the body&#39;s response is the acceleration, and the strength of the response is inversely proportional to the mass.
Newton also outlined his second law in terms of momentum: The instantaneous rate at which a body&#39;s momentum changes is equal to the net force acting on the body.
This text is adapted from <a href="https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-1/pages/5-3-newtons-second-law">Openstax, University Physics Volume 1, Section 5.3: Newton&#39;s Second Law.</a>

Acceleration due to Gravity on Earth

Newton&#39;s second law is closely related to his first law of motion. It mathematically gives the cause-and-effect relationship between force and changes ...

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

free-fall acceleration on earth

Free-fall acceleration on Earth describes how fast an object speeds up when gravity is the only force acting on it. Near Earth’s surface, this acceleration is nearly constant for many everyday situations.

Gravity pulls objects toward Earth and gives them downward acceleration. This motion is often written as g, and it helps explain why falling objects gain speed as they move downward.

The value of g is commonly used in physics to predict the motion of objects dropped or released near the ground. It is an important idea for understanding motion on Earth and for solving basic mechanics problems.

Free-Fall Acceleration on Earth

introduction to scalers

Scalar Quantities in Physics

Scalar quantities in physics have size only. They do not include direction. This makes them different from vector quantities. Common scalar examples include mass, temperature, time, and energy. Each one can be described with a number and a unit. Because direction is not part of the value, scalars are often easier to compare and measure.

vector or cross product

Cross Product of Two Vectors

The cross product of two vectors gives a new vector that is related to both original vectors. It is also called the vector product. In many physics problems, this operation helps describe quantities that depend on direction as well as size. The result of a cross product has a direction set by the two input vectors. It is not the same as ordinary multiplication. The transcript focuses on the vector or cross product as a core vector operation students use when working with vectors in science.

introduction to vectors

Vectors in Motion and Direction

Vectors describe quantities that have both size and direction. They are used in physics to show how motion, force, and other quantities act in space. A vector can be represented with an arrow. The length of the arrow shows the size, and the arrowhead shows the direction. This makes vectors useful for comparing how one quantity points relative to another. Scalars are different because they have size only and no direction. Understanding the difference between vectors and scalars is an important...

units and standards of measurement

Measurement Units, Standards, and SI Basics

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accuracy and precision

Measurement Errors, Accuracy, and Precision

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rules of significant figures

Counting Significant Figures in Measurements

Significant figures help students record measurements with the correct level of precision. They show which digits in a number are meaningful and which only help place the decimal point. In science class, this idea matters when writing and comparing measured values. The rules for significant figures explain how to count these digits in different numbers. Some digits are always counted, while others depend on where they appear in the number. Learning the rules makes it easier to report answers...

random and systematic errors

Measuring Error in Scientific Data

Random and systematic errors affect scientific measurements. Random errors cause values to spread around the true value. They make repeated measurements less consistent. Systematic errors shift measurements in the same direction each time. Understanding both kinds of error helps students judge data quality. Random error can come from small changes during measurement. Systematic error can come from a biased tool or method. Scientists look for these patterns so they can improve results and...

position and displacement

Tracking Motion with Position and Displacement

Position and displacement are key ideas in straight-line motion. Position tells where an object is located compared with a chosen starting point, called the origin. Displacement describes how far and in what direction the object has moved from its starting position. These ideas help describe motion clearly. Position can change as an object moves. Displacement focuses on the change in position, not just the path taken. That makes it useful for comparing motion in a simple and precise way.

position and displacement vectors

Using Vectors to Describe Motion

Position and displacement vectors describe motion in physics. A position vector shows where an object is located relative to a chosen origin. A displacement vector shows how far and in what direction the object moves from one point to another. These vectors are useful because they give a clear way to track movement in space. The video connects position and displacement to the idea of a reference point and shows how direction matters as much as distance. That makes them important for describing...

mass and weight

How Mass Differs from Weight

Mass and weight are related, but they are not the same. Mass is the amount of matter in an object. Weight is the force of gravity acting on that object. This difference matters because mass stays the same even when gravity changes. Weight can change if the gravitational pull changes. A person or object therefore has the same mass, but not always the same weight. The terms are often used in everyday speech as if they mean the same thing. In physics, they describe two different ideas.

Free-fall acceleration on Earth describes how fast an object speeds up when gravity is the only force acting on it. Near Earth’s surface, this acceleration is nearly constant for many everyday situations. Gravity pulls objects toward Earth and gives them downward acceleration. This motion is often written as g, and it helps explain why falling objects gain speed as they move downward. The value of g is commonly used in physics to predict the motion of objects dropped or released near the...

tension

Tension in Ropes and Strings

Tension is the pulling force carried by a rope, string, or cable when it is stretched by a load. In physics, this force acts along the length of the object and pulls away from the objects at each end. A stretched rope can support a hanging mass because the tension in the rope balances the weight of the load. The same idea appears in many everyday situations, such as a cable holding a sign or a string lifting an object. Understanding tension helps students connect force diagrams to real motion.

gravitational force

How Gravity Acts Between Objects

Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward one another. On Earth, this force gives objects weight and keeps people, water, and other materials from drifting away. It also helps explain why planets and moons stay in motion around larger bodies. The strength of gravitational force depends on the masses of the objects involved. Larger masses create a stronger pull, while smaller masses create a weaker one. The distance between objects also matters, because gravity becomes weaker as objects move...

key terms and concepts

Learn how free-fall acceleration near Earth works, why gravity makes falling objects speed up, and how g is used in basic physics problems.

Free-Fall Acceleration on Earth | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Mechanical Engineering offers concise, easy-to-understand animated videos covering key topics such as equilibrium, forces, truss analysis, and structural mechanics. Explore their real-world applications, and witness these concepts in action through scientist-led experiments.

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Free-Fall Acceleration on Earth

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