Is the acceleration of a free-falling object uniform?

Answer 1

In a simplified model where outside forces (i.e. forces other than gravity) are ignored, the acceleration of a free-falling object is considered to be uniform, or constant. This acceleration is equal to #g#, the gravitational or free fall acceleration constant of #9.8"m"//"s"^2#.

Note that because the object is falling downward, #a=-g=-9.8"m"//"s"^2#, but g itself is a positive quantity.

When we do consider outside forces such as drag, wind, etc., we see that the acceleration of the object is not uniform.

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Answer 2

Charles Aeschliman

Yes, the acceleration of a free-falling object is uniform.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.