Why Acceleration Due To Gravity Is 9.8 m/s^2 : Explained?

Imagine you drop a ball from your hand, it falls to the ground because Earth pulls it down, and that pull is called gravity.

When something falls, it speeds up as it goes, this speed-up is called acceleration, and on Earth, that acceleration due to gravity is about 9.8 m/s². That means every second you fall, your speed increases by almost 10 meters per second!

Why Is It 9.8?

Think of Earth like a big, strong friend who always pulls things toward it. No matter how heavy the object is, whether it’s a feather or a rock, Earth pulls them all with the same strength per kilogram.

So even though a rock feels heavier than a feather, both fall at the same speed in the air (if there's no wind messing things up). This is because Earth’s pull is strong and consistent, like a clock ticking every second.

How We Got 9.8

Long ago, people did experiments to find out exactly how fast things fall. They dropped objects from tall buildings and measured their speed. Over time, they found the number that best fits our world: 9.8 m/s². It’s not magic, it's just Earth being Earth! Imagine you drop a ball from your hand, it falls to the ground because Earth pulls it down, and that pull is called gravity.

When something falls, it speeds up as it goes, this speed-up is called acceleration, and on Earth, that acceleration due to gravity is about 9.8 m/s². That means every second you fall, your speed increases by almost 10 meters per second!

Why Is It 9.8?

Think of Earth like a big, strong friend who always pulls things toward it. No matter how heavy the object is, whether it’s a feather or a rock, Earth pulls them all with the same strength per kilogram.

So even though a rock feels heavier than a feather, both fall at the same speed in the air (if there's no wind messing things up). This is because Earth’s pull is strong and consistent, like a clock ticking every second.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. A ball dropped from a height hits the ground faster than it would in space.
  2. You feel heavier on Earth because gravity is constantly pulling you down.
  3. Kids on a swing move back and forth because of gravity's pull.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity