Understanding Free Fall and Gravity
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ScribdTranslationsUnderstanding Free Fall and Gravity
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3 Free fall
This movement is due solely to the influence of gravity.
The bodies that exhibit this kind of movement have a
downward acceleration and its value depends on the location in which
is found. On Earth this value is approximately 9.8 m/s²,
which means that freely falling bodies increase their speed
(downward) at a rate of 9.8 m/s every second. In free fall, it is neglected
air resistance. The acceleration to which a body is subjected in
free fall, is called gravitational acceleration and is represented by
through the letter.
If the considered movement is one of descent or fall, the value obtained results
positive as corresponds to a true acceleration. If on the contrary, it is
in vertical ascent, the value is considered negative, as it is
in the case of a decelerated movement.
In the (green) sector is where the action of gravity occurs, being greater
value the closer it is to the Earth (red point), decreasing until it reaches
be null, where zero gravity or weightlessness is considered, in this place it
they locate the satellites (blue dot).
For the examples that will be analyzed below, the changes in value of
gravity is small and for that reason it can be considered constant
equal to 9.8 m/s², 980 cm/s² or 32 ft/s² according to the unit system
that is being managed, these values are given with reference to sea level. The
The following table contains the values from different places:
g
Site
(m/s²)
Mercury 2.8
Venus 8.9
Earth 9.8
Mars 3.7
Jupiter 22.9
Saturn 9.1
Uranus 7.8
Neptune 11.0
Moon 1.6
Free fall is a uniformly accelerated motion, but it is applied to
the ejey, for this reason, the same expressions of the movement are taken
accelerated, making a change of nomenclature and taking into account that the
initial velocity is zero.
Expressions of accelerated movement:
Expressions for free fall:
It is considered with a positive sign when the movement is downward and with a negative sign.
when is the promotion.
Translated like this:
It is important to have a clear understanding of the concept of vector direction, as here it is
It's completely different to say that a body is falling or rising.
Let's analyze the fact where a body falls, in this case the speed goes
in the same direction of the downward movement and like the direction of the
gravity is always downwards, it is considered that gravity is positive and
in the case where a body is rising, the velocity goes in the direction of
movement and gravity is negative.
Falling body, velocity and gravity have the same direction, therefore
it is positive.
Body rising, speed and gravity have opposite meaning, therefore
negative feedback.
An analysis that always attracts curiosity is the fact of seeing the movement.
in free fall of a stone and a coin in a patio or hall, and carry out the
same case in a vacuum tube, because here both the stone and the coin
they fall the same, which does not happen in the first case, this is due to the resistance
What the air presents, according to the shape of the falling objects.
Another example to highlight this phenomenon can be seen when two are dropped.
sheets of paper, one crumpled into a ball, and the other laid out, in this
if it seems that the wrinkled one falls faster, this happens because the one that is not
doubled presents a greater contact area with the air (phenomenon that applies
in the construction of parachutes)
Movement in two dimensions
The movements studied previously have been considered in a
dimension like the straight-line motion that applies on the X-axis or the
free fall motion on the Y axis, but not all movements are of
this way, since there are movements like those presented by a ball
basketball thrown at the hoop, missiles, rockets, a roller coaster or a
electron in a magnetic field.
Parabolic motion
As we see the component in the y-axis, it initially points upwards, already
that is ascending and after reaching its maximum height (where Vy = 0)
starts pointing downwards, because it is descending, while the
the component of velocity along the x-axis remains constant (is disregarded the
air resistance). According to what was said earlier, about the axis acts
a uniformly varied movement, and in the x-axis a rectilinear movement
constant speed
According to the graph: the initial velocity forms an angle with the horizontal,
then speed has two components.
From where is it obtained that:
As on the axis, a rectilinear motion acts, the expressions of
movement are:
And since in the Y-axis it acts a uniformly accelerated motion, the
expressions for height and speeds on this axis are:
Maximum height. When it is desired to calculate the maximum height, it is done the
consideration that at this point the speed in Yes is equal to zero,
well it must "stop" in order to start falling, like this:
This is the ascent time, so the value of the becomes negative.
gravity
Time that is replaced in the expression of the height:
When the body is rising, the value of gravity (g) is negative:
Total flight time
To calculate the total or flight time, first the time in which
reaches maximum height.
Then it is considered that the ascent time is equal to the time of
descent, then the total movement time will be equal to twice the time of
rise.
Maximum range
To calculate the maximum range, the total time that lasted the
movement and we replace it in the expression:
Where:
2 cos you it is the same as 2 trigonometric identity