What do you mean by free fall?

Free fall refers to the motion of an object under the sole influence of gravity, without any other forces acting on it. In a free fall, the only force acting on the object is gravity, and it causes the object to accelerate toward the center of the Earth.

Key characteristics of free fall include:

1. Acceleration: Objects in free fall experience a constant acceleration due to gravity. Near the surface of the Earth, this acceleration is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s²), often denoted as "g."
2. Uniform Gravitational Field: For an object in free fall, it is assumed that the gravitational field is uniform, meaning that the strength of gravity does not vary with the object's altitude (assuming the object is close to the Earth's surface).
3. Absence of Air Resistance: In the idealized concept of free fall, it is assumed that there is no air resistance or other forces acting on the object. In reality, air resistance can affect the motion of an object falling through the Earth's atmosphere, especially at high speeds.

The motion of an object in free fall is described by the equations of motion under constant acceleration. The distance fallen by an object in free fall can be determined using the equation:It's important to note that free fall is a concept used in physics to describe idealized situations. In the real world, factors such as air resistance can significantly affect the motion of falling objects. Additionally, objects in free fall near the surface of the Earth experience a constant acceleration due to gravity, regardless of their mass (assuming there is negligible air resistance). This principle was famously demonstrated by Galileo, who showed that objects of different masses fall at the same rate in the absence of air resistance.