All objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum.

Subject: All objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum. Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:11 am

I know i shouldn't be posting about this on the clan website but it just came to my head now:

I dont know where it comes from, but from what i know all objects are meant to fall towards the ground at the same speed in a vacuum no mater how large they are. Now from what i know of gravity, all object pull at each other, and the larger the mass the greater the effect of gravity. So wouldn't an object of greater mass fall faster due to the greater amount of gravity acting between them?

Sorry if i haven't asked the question well

and

Sorry if the answer is obvious, and i just haven't covered it et (i am only in year 9!)

THANK YOU

well since the object is greater there is also the fact that inorder to start the object moving it needs more force and so the force on that object is greater but because the object needs more force to get going it will reach the ground at the same time

so basically this works because of inertia

not really sure if i explained that well

no idea what you just said....

Posts : 17 Join date : 2010-10-22

gravity pulls on every object at 9.8 m/s2. If it was a vacuum, there's no air resistance so they would fall at the same rate. Yes, every object does have gravity on it however the object would have to be massive to affect the other object, but then again, they still would fall at the same time because the objects gravity would pull it towards it not pull it down.
(correct me if i'm wrong, just a freshman in highschool :p) Hope i helped :)

i understand that the object would have to be massive to have a significant effect, but even if it is small, wont there still be a very smal, extremely minute, effect? And wont that have a minute effect on the time?

Posts : 17 Join date : 2010-10-22

I see where you're going with this, but the object would not have enough gravity to affect the time much. And if it did, we would need a very precise machine/computer to calculate it.

newton has a law that states and object at rest wants to stay at rest ok got that

we shall call this inertia

so if an object is more massive it has more inertia

therefore an object with more mass takes more force to move

since it is more massive the force is greater

therefore it will accelerate at the same rate as a less massive object

ipso facto the time is not affected

ahh, so you are saying that the objects inertia will counter act the greater gravitational pull?

yes in effect