#falling objects

The idea that an object in free fall accelerates at about 32 feet per second squared (32 ft/s²) can seem confusing at first. Most of the confusion comes from mixing up terms like speed, velocity, and acceleration, or from overthinking what is actually a straightforward concept. Let’s break it down… When an object falls, it doesn’t move at a constant speed—it speeds up as it goes. This happens because of gravity, the force that pulls objects toward the Earth. The rate at which the object speeds up is called acceleration. Acceleration means a change in velocity over time. Velocity includes both speed and direction, but since a falling object is moving straight down, we can mostly focus on its speed. Near the Earth’s surface, gravity causes objects to accelerate at about 32.2 feet per second every second. This means: After 1 second, the object is moving at 32.2 ft/s After 2 seconds, 64.4 ft/s After 3 seconds, 96.6 ft/s After 4 seconds, 128.8 ft/s That, this experiment, did, or did not, actually, occur, is moot (however, it is noted by Williams’s, “A History of Science”, to have taken place); it has been tested – and re-tested – and re-tested – and re-tested – ever since. Law of Odd Numbers Galileo’s Law of Odd Numbers is a fundamental principle in classical kinematics which states that the distances covered by a falling object in successive equal intervals of time are proportional to the sequence of odd numbers (1,3,5,7,…) — a strange situation! I won’t describe it here, but you can research this interesting scenario. So, you can determine an object’s speed, in miles per hour, for the end of any, given, interval, in seconds, during its fall, at: 32.2 feet per second, per second. Just multiply 32.2 times the number of seconds you want to calculate for, say, “4” seconds: 32.2 x 4 seconds = 128.8 feet per second. Next, multiply that figure (128.8) by 3,600 seconds, and you’ll get 463,680 ft. per hour.. Divide, that, by 5,280 ft. (number of feet in a mile), and you’ll get, In this case, 87.1 MPH. I think….I hope. (Whew!…sometimes I wish, Galileo, had kept his BALLS home, that day!) (** Space is a near-perfect vacuum; the average cubic-inch of space contains only around 10 hydrogen atoms and a stray photon or two).

Falling Object Hazard: Understanding, Dangers, and Prevention Strategies