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Overview of Gravity Equations for Falling Objects
by Ron Kurtus (revised 16 August 2009)
A falling object is an object that you drop from some height. The assumption is that the object is simply dropped and not accelerated up or down. There are simple equations that allow you to calculate the velocity and distance traveled, as well as the time taken to achieve a given velocity or distance.
Note: You normally do not need to memorize these equations, but you should know where to find them in order to solve equations.
Questions you may have include:
- What are the velocity equations?
- What are the distance equations?
- What are the time equations?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.
Useful tools: Metric-English Conversion | Scientific Calculator.
Velocity equations
The equations for the velocity of a falling object are:
v = gt
v = √(2gx)
(See Gravity Velocity Equations for Falling Objects for details on using these equations, as well as some examples.)
Distance equations
The equations for the distance that the object falls are:
x = gt2/2
x = v2/2g
(See Gravity Distance Equations for Falling Objects for details on using these equations, as well as some examples.)
Time equations
The equations for the elapsed time of a falling object are:
t = v/g
t = √(2x/g)
(See Gravity Time Equations for Falling Objects for details on using these equations, as well as some examples.)
Summary
There are simple equations for falling objects that allow you to calculate the velocity and distance traveled, as well as the time taken to achieve a given velocity or distance.
See the Side Menu for more Gravitation and Gravity topics
Check your numbers
Resources
The following resources provide information on this subject:
Websites
Acceleration due to Gravity Calculations - from Western Washington University
Gravity and Gravitation Resources
Books
Top-rated
books on Simple Gravity Science
Top-rated
books on Advanced Gravity Physics
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in Physics. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
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Overview of Gravity Equations for Falling Objects