Last updated: Jul 25, 2024

Free Fall Height Calculator

Q: What is gravitation acceleration?

Gravitational acceleration is a physical expression used to indicate the intensity of the gravitational field , usually of a planet. It is the acceleration that an object will experience during free fall.

Q: What is the gravitational acceleration on Earth?

The gravitational acceleration on Earth is 9.80655 m/s² . This is about 6 times higher than the gravitational acceleration of the moon, which is around 1.6 m/s².

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Wojciech Sas

PhD, Institute of Physics in Zagreb

A physicist at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Kraków. Currently looking for that one and only magnetic nanomaterial that will improve everyone's life. Interested in astronomy and likes playing board games. Also, fond of watching chess tournaments; he never refuses to play a game (or two) himself. See full profile

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Table of contents

What is free fall and free fall height?What is the free fall height equation? Free fall height formula Free fall related calculators FAQs

With this free fall height calculator, we aim to help you calculate the free fall maximum height, given the initial velocity and time.

We have written this article to help you understand the definition of free fall height and the free fall height formula. We will also demonstrate some free fall height calculation examples to help you understand the calculation.

What is free fall and free fall height?

An object is said to be in free fall when it moves only under the influence of the gravitational force. There should be no other forces, including air resistance, acting on the object.

The free fall height is the maximum height an object travels during free fall. As the object is under a constant acceleration of the gravitational force, the free fall height is dependent on the object's initial velocity and the duration of the free fall.

Now let's explore the free fall maximum height calculation together.

What is the free fall height equation? Free fall height formula

To understand the free hall height calculation, let's look at the example below:

Situation: A ball is falling from mid-air on Earth;
Initial velocity: 0 ms⁻¹;
Free fall time: 10 seconds;
Gravitation acceleration: 9.80665 m/s².

You can calculate the free fall height in four steps:

Determine the gravitational acceleration of Earth, g

The gravitational acceleration of the Earth is 9.80665 m/s². We denote it as g.
Determine the initial velocity of the item, v₀

For this example, the initial velocity of the item, v₀ is assumed to be 0 m/s. This means the object starts falling when it is not moving at all.
Estimate the time the object went through in free fall, t

For our example, the object has been through free fall for 10 seconds.
Calculate the free fall height using the free fall height equation

The last step is to calculate the free fall height. This can be calculated using the free hall height formula below:

h = v₀ × t + 0.5 × g × t²

The free fall height for the object in this example is 0 × 10 + 0.5 × 9.80665 × 10² = 490.3325 m.

FAQs

How can I find free fall height of an item on Earth?

You can find the free fall height of an item on Earth in four steps:

Determine the gravitational acceleration of Earth, g.
Determine the initial velocity of the item, v₀
Estimate the time the item went through in free fall, t.
Apply the free fall height equation:

h = v₀ × t + 0.5 × g × t².

What is gravitation acceleration?

Gravitational acceleration is a physical expression used to indicate the intensity of the gravitational field, usually of a planet. It is the acceleration that an object will experience during free fall.

What is the gravitational acceleration on Earth?

The gravitational acceleration on Earth is 9.80655 m/s². This is about 6 times higher than the gravitational acceleration of the moon, which is around 1.6 m/s².