What is acceleration due to gravity? Justify that all objects (hollow or solid, big or small) fall from a height near the earth's surface at the same rate in vacuum.

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Solution

The acceleration which is gained by an object because of gravitational force is called its acceleration due to gravity. Its value near earth's surface is given by
$g = \frac{G M}{R^{2}} = 9.8 m / s^{2}$
Here, M = Mass of the earth
R = Radius of the earth
G = Universal gravitational constant
From this equation, it is clear that acceleration of the body is constant near the earth's surface (if there is no air friction). Hence, all objects (hollow or solid, big or small) fall from a height at the same rate in vacuum.

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