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The term “freefall” refers to when an item descends towards the Earth due to the Earth’s gravitational force. Previously, it was assumed that lighter bodies would fall slowly while heavier bodies would fall quickly. For example, if a feather and a metal coin were dropped from the same height, the metal coin would reach the ground first and the feather later. But it was Galileo who proved through his experiments conducted from the leaning tower of Pisa that objects of different masses and sizes would reach the ground at the same time when dropped simultaneously from the same height.
Newton’s Theory of Gravitation
Sir Isaac Newton came up with the theory of gravitation after he witnessed the fall of an apple on his head. Newton’s groundbreaking concept was that gravity is universal and that all objects attract in proportion to their mass production. The majority of gravitational forces are too small to be noticed, and only when an object’s mass reaches a certain size can gravitational forces be detected.
Newton’s theory of gravitation states that; The basic reason that anything can make and utilise gravitational force is because of its mass. If a mass exists, it will exert pressure on another mass-containing item. These two masses do not collide, but a specific distance separates them. Even after that, regardless of communication, the second mass is experiencing force towards the first mass.
A field effect is created by any mass in its space, much like a spider’s web. The gravitational field is the area around a mass where its gravitational force is effective.
The force applied in some regions is significant, implying that the gravitational field’s intensity is widespread. When the distance between the item and the gravitational field increases, the force, and gravitational field decrease. A field’s intensity varies from point to point. The force experienced by a unit mass retained at a certain location is the intensity at that location.
Acceleration Due to Gravity on The Surface of Earth
The acceleration due to gravity is defined as the homogeneous acceleration produced in a freely falling body due to the Earth’s gravitational force. G stands for gravity’s acceleration, which varies from celestial body to celestial body.
The value of acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Earth can be defined as
The gravitational field strength of Earth is:
g r= Gm/r²
The gravitational field strength at the Earth’s surface is approximate 9.799Nkg
It is equivalent to acceleration due to gravity at the Earth’s surface of 9.799m/s².
Factors affecting acceleration due to gravity
The acceleration (g) is majorly affected by the following four factors:
- The shape of the Earth
- Rotational motion of the Earth
- Altitude above the Earth’s surface
- Depth below the Earth’s surface
There also exists a relation between mass and gravity: mass is directly proportional to gravity. The intensity pull will be more if the object is heavy. For instance, the stars and sun have greater gravity. Another factor about gravity is inversely proportional to the distance between two objects. The acceleration due to gravity near the surface of Earth is constant, but if the distance is large from the Earth or around other planets or moons, it is different.
Conclusion
Gravity is the universal force of attraction among all the entities and matter, and it can be considered the driving force that pulls together all the matters. Gravitation is measured in acceleration or in movement that it gives to freely falling objects. At the Earth’s surface, the value of the acceleration of gravity is about 9.8m/s2. So, for every second when the object is in free fall, its speed is increased by 9.8m/s2. Acceleration is more than just the height change; it is implied more than just the rising speed. Pick up an object and throw it in the air vertically; the object will slow down on its way up until it stops and comes back. Acceleration can also be described as the slow down in speed.
