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Freefall (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award)): Revision Note

Leander Oates

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Acceleration of free fall

Extended tier only

  • In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass

  • This is called the acceleration of freefall

    • This is also sometimes called acceleration due to gravity

acceleration space of space freefall space equals space straight g space equals space 9.8 space straight m divided by straight s squared

leaning-tower-of-pisa, IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes

In the absence of air resistance, Galileo discovered that all objects (near Earth's surface) fall with an acceleration of about 9.8 m/s2

  • This means that for every second an object falls, its velocity will increase by 9.8 m/s

Examiner Tips and Tricks

  • The symbol g also stands for the gravitational field strength, and can be used to calculate the force of weight acting an object using its mass:

W space equals space m g

  • Where:

    • W = the force of weight acting on an object, measured in newtons (N)

    • m = mass of object, measured in kilograms (kg)

    • g = gravitational field strength, measured in newtons per kilogram (N/kg)

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    Leander Oates

    Author: Leander Oates

    Expertise: Physics

    Leander graduated with First-class honours in Science and Education from Sheffield Hallam University. She won the prestigious Lord Robert Winston Solomon Lipson Prize in recognition of her dedication to science and teaching excellence. After teaching and tutoring both science and maths students, Leander now brings this passion for helping young people reach their potential to her work at SME.