Gravitational force acts on all objects in pr | vedclass

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Question

(B) According to Newton's second law of motion,$F = ma$. The gravitational force acting on an object is $F = G \frac{Mm}{r^2}$. Equating these,$ma = G

Vedclass · Accepted Answer

The acceleration due to gravity is independent of the mass of the falling object.

Vedclass · Answer

(B) According to Newton's second law of motion,$F = ma$. The gravitational force acting on an object is $F = G \frac{Mm}{r^2}$. Equating these,$ma = G \frac{Mm}{r^2}$,which simplifies to $a = G \frac{M}{r^2}$. Here,$a$ is the acceleration due to gravity $(g)$,$G$ is the gravitational constant,$M$ is the mass of the Earth,and $r$ is the distance from the center of the Earth. Since $g$ depends only on the mass of the Earth and the distance from its center,it is independent of the mass of the falling object $(m)$. Therefore,in the absence of air resistance,all objects fall with the same acceleration,and heavy objects do not fall faster than light objects.

Gravitational force acts on all objects in proportion to their masses. Why then,a heavy object does not fall faster than a light object?

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