Question

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

Answer 1

Acceleration due to gravity.

It is the rate of change in velocity per unit of time of a body in free fall under the influence of earth's gravity only.

$g=-\frac{GM}{r^2}\hat{r}$

Here $g$ is the acceleration due to gravity, $G$ is the universal gravitational constant, $M$ is the mass of the Earth, $r$ is the radial distance from the center of the Earth, $\hat{r}$ is the radial unit vector.

1. The acceleration due to gravity applies to all objects as they fall.
2. The value of '$g$' does not rely on the mass of an object because it is constant on Earth.
3. The objects fall with constant acceleration on the ground, which is known as gravity acceleration (in the absence of air resistance).
4. If air resistance and friction are negligible, then all objects falls with the same constant acceleration towards the center of the Earth independent of their mass.
5. The negative sign indicates that for a body moving away from the earth gravitational acceleration acts downwards in the opposite direction.
6. Hence a heavy object does not fall faster than a light object.
7. As a result, heavy items do not descend as quickly as light ones.

Since acceleration due to gravity is the same everywhere around the Earth and all objects experience the same acceleration as they fall, that's why heavier objects do not fall faster than lighter ones.