Question

An object is said to be in a state of free fall when:

• A. It accelerates under the force of gravity.
• B. When the only force acting on it is the weight of the object.
• C. Initial velocity can be a zero or a non-zero value.
• D. All of these.

Answer 1

The correct option is B

When the only force acting on it is the weight of the object.

Freefall is any motion of a body where its weight is the only force acting upon it. A body in free fall experiences an acceleration equal to 'g'. Thus, falling through an atmosphere without a deployed parachute or lifting device is also often referred to as free fall.

Any acceleration not equal to g implies another force other than gravity is acting on the object.

A body thrown up moves away from the earth for some time, even in this case the only force acting on the body is gravitational force. Hence a freely falling body need not move towards the Earth.