Falling Speeds: A Speed Increase Each Second

Use a constant-acceleration model without mixing up speed and acceleration.

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Assume a rest start, no air resistance and constant g = 10 m/s^2. Downward speed is v = gt. Each second adds 10 m/s to speed while the object continues falling; the acceleration is not 10 m/s.

Worked example

At t = 2 s, v = 10 x 2 = 20 m/s. At t = 3 s, v = 30 m/s. These are calculation conditions with enough falling distance, not instructions for a real drop.

An ideal object starts from rest with no air resistance. At constant g of 10 meters per second squared, speeds at times zero, one, two and three seconds are zero, ten, twenty and thirty meters per second.

Would you believe it?

In an ideal no-air fall from rest with constant gravity, distances covered in successive equal time steps follow the odd-number pattern 1, 3, 5, 7. Speed increases evenly, but distance per step does not.

OpenStax: free fall

Question 1 What is the speed at 2 s? 20 m/s 10 m/s 40 m/s

Question 2 What is the speed at 3 s? 9 m/s 90 m/s 30 m/s

Question 3 How much speed is added each second? 10 s 10 m/s 10 m

Question 4 Which is an acceleration unit? m/s^2 m/s m

Question 5 Would strong air resistance preserve this exact table? Yes, drag never affects acceleration Only if the table is printed No, it changes the net force

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