FREE FALL

Objective:
Solve problems using
equations involving free
fall.
Suppose you drop a
stone from a certain
height. How will you
describe its motion?
 Free Fall
• No support force except for the
pull of gravity
• Is a case of uniform acceleration
in a straight line.
• The cause of this – gravity- is a
force exerted toward the center
of the earth.
Many years ago the philosopher
Aristotle stated that heavy
objects fall faster than light
ones.

No one contradicted this

statement until the time of
Galileo.
Galileo Galilei, an Italian physicist,
proved with experiments that
Aristotle’s theory was wrong.

He dropped objects of different

sizes from the top of the Leaning
Tower of Pisa in the presence of
other wise men.
He proved that all of the
objects reached the ground
at approximately the same
time.

In a vacuum, all bodies fall at

the same rate.
 Demonstration

Use a paper and a ballpen, how

would you demonstrate that
these objects may reach the
floor at approximately the same
time.
 Equations:
g = -9.8 m/s²
vf = v; a= g; d = y; vi = vo

*v=gt
*y=1/2gt²
*v²= 2gy
If with an initial speed/velocity:
*y= vot + 1/2gt²
* v = vo + gt
*2gy= v² - vo²
 Problem 1

A stone is dropped from

the top of a building and
hits the ground after 2
seconds. What is the
height of the building?
g= -9.8 m/s²
t=2 s
vo =0
Height (y)= ?

y=1/2gt² =1/2(-9.8m/s²)(2s)²
y=-19.6 m
Height = 19.6 m
 Problem 2:
• A ball dropped from the top of the Manila City
Hall strikes the ground in 1.85 seconds. How
high is the City Hall?
• Solution:
• y=1/2 gt² =1/2 (-9.8 m/s²)(1.85s)²
• y=-16.8 m
• Height = 16.8 m (with reference to the
ground)
 Problem 3:
A ball is dropped from a tower and it hits the
ground in 4 seconds. How high is the tower?
• Solution:
• y=1/2 gt² =1/2 (-9.8 m/s²)(4s)²
• y=-78.4 m
• Height= 78.4 m (with reference to the
ground)
 Problem 4:
The Philippine Banking Corporation Building is
40 meters high. A stone is dropped from its
top. What is the speed of the stone when it
reaches the ground?
v²= 2gy = 2 (-9.8m/s²)(-40m)
v= 28 m/s
 Problem 5:
• Charen drops a stone from her bedroom
window. How fast will the stone fall in one
second? In 2 seconds?
• Solutions:
a.) v = gt = -9.8m/s²(1s)= -9.8 m/s
a.) v = gt = -9.8m/s²(2s)= -19.6 m/s
 Quiz
A building is 120m high. If a stone is dropped
from its top, what will its speed be when it
reaches the ground?
v²= 2gy = 2 (-9.8m/s²)(-120m)
v= 48.50 m/s
 Assignment

Problem . A stone is dropped

from the top of a building that
is 500m high. Disregarding air
resistance, how long does it
take the stone to reach the
ground?
Given
y= -500m
g= -9.8 m/s²
t=?
y= gt²/2
-500m = - 9.8 m/s²(t²)/2
-500m (2) = -9.8 m/s²(t²)
-1000m = -9.8 m/s²(t²) t²= 102.04 s²
-9.8 m/s² -9.8 m/s² t= 10.10s
May end in here
 FREE FALL

Objective: (second session)

Solve problems using
equations involving free
fall.
 V=0

g=-9.8 m/s²
+y -y
+v -v
 PROBLEM 1
A stone is thrown upward with an initial speed of 20
m/s. See figure on the slide. It goes up to a height,
then comes down to the same level from where it
was thrown.
a. How high does the stone go before it starts to
come down? How long does it take the stone to
reach this point?
b. What is the acceleration of the stone at the
highest point it reached? What is its speed at the
highest point?
c. How long does it take the stone to reach the
same level from where it was thrown?
time (up) = time (down)
For upward motion of the stone:
g= -9.8 m/s²
vo = 20 m/s
vtop = 0 m/s = v upward motion
= vo of the downward
motion
For downward motion of the stone:
vo = 0
g= -9.8 m/s²
Upward motion: Height (y)? reached by the stone
a.) g = v – vo t = v – vo
t g
t=0 – 20 m/s
-9.8 m/s²
t= 2.04 s (upward)

y= vot + 1/2gt²
y=20m/s (2.04s) + 1/2(-9.8m/s²)(2.04s)²
y= 40.8m + (-20.39m) =40.8m-20.39m
y= 20.41 m (upward)
b.) Acceleration at any position of the
stone after release was always -9.8 m/s²
assuming air resistance is zero.

Speed at highest point reached was zero.

c.)
tup = tdown = 2.04 s Vo (down) = 0
y = -20.41m
y= 1/2gt²down
-20.41m = ½(-9.8m/s²) t²down
tdown=2.04s
Total Time = tup + tdown = 4.08 s
Acceleration due to gravity is always directed
towards the earth (downward).
g= -9.8 m/s²
 Problem 2 : Same figure from previous
problem

A ball is thrown vertically upward

with an initial velocity of 20 m/s.
a. Find the velocity of the ball 3 s
after it was thrown.
b. Find the total distance covered
after 3s of flight.
 Option 1
v=0

t=3s-2.04s=0.96s
t1=2.04s t2=2.04s v=gt
v= -9.8m/s²(0.96s)
v=-9.4m/s
vo=20m/s

Tt=t1+t2=4.08s
 v= vo+ gt
Option 2
v= 20m/s + (-9.8m/s²) (0.96s)
v=0 v= -9.4m/s

t1=2.04s t2=2.04s
Option 3
v= vo+ gt
vo=20m/s v= 20m/s + (-9.8m/s²) (3s)
v= -9.4m/s

Tt=t1+t2=4.08s
 Option 1 for b
v=0 t=3s-2.04s=0.96s

y= gt²/2
t1=2.04s t2=2.04s y=-9.8m/s²(0.96s) ²
2
vo=20m/s y2= -20.41m y= - 4.51m
y1=20.41m

Tt=t1+t2=4.08s Tdistance at 3s=20.41m+4.51m= 24.92m

Option 2 y= vot+ ½gt²
for b
y=20m/s(3s)+(0.5)(-9.8m/s²(3s)²
v=0

t1=2.04s t2=2.04s

vo=20m/s y1= y2
y= 15.9m
y1=20.41m

yt=y1+y2=40.82m Tdistance at 3s=40.82m-15.9m= 24.92m

Problem 3. A ball is thrown
upward from the top of a 20m
building with an initial velocity of
30 m/s.
a. How long will it take the ball to
reach the ground?
b. What is its velocity just before
hitting the ground?
 t1= ?
v= vo+ gt1
t1 t2
t 1 = v - vo
y1 g
vo=30m/s y2
t1 = 0 - 30m/s = 3.06s
-9.8m/s²
20m
 y1= ?
y1= vot1+ ½ gt1²
t1 t2 y1 = 30m/s(3.06s)+ (0.5)(-9.8m/s²)
(3.06s)²
y1
y1 = 45.92m
vo=30m/s
y2 =?
y2 =-65.92m yup = 20m+ y1 = 65.92m
20m
y2 = -65.92m
 t2= ? vo = 0
y2= ½ gt2²
t1 t2 -65.92m = (0.5)(-9.8m/s²) (t2)²

y1 t2 = 3.67s
vo=30m/s a.) Tt =?
Tt =3.06s+ 3.67s
y2 =-65.92m
20m Tt = 6.73s
 Tt =3.06s+ 3.67s= 6.73s

v= ? vo = 0; t2 = 3.67s
v= gt2
t1 t2 v = (-9.8m/s²) (3.67s)

y1 v = -35.97m/s
vo=30m/s
v= vo+ gTt
y2 =-65.92m v= 30m/s+ (-9.8m/s²)(6.73s)
20m V=-35.97m/s
Assignment
Problem 5: A ball is thrown
upward from the top of a 35m
building with an initial velocity of
25 m/s.
a. How long will it take the ball to
reach the ground?
b. What is its velocity just before
hitting the ground?