Question
If a 5 kg hammer and a 0.001 kg feather are dropped in a frictionless environment
from 2 m high on Earth, which will reach the ground first? Would the time it takes for
the fall be greater or smaller if this was done on the Moon?
from 2 m high on Earth, which will reach the ground first? Would the time it takes for
the fall be greater or smaller if this was done on the Moon?
Ask by Robbins Johnston. in the United States
Jan 10,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
Both the 5 kg hammer and the 0.001 kg feather will reach the ground at the same time when dropped from 2 meters in a frictionless environment on Earth. On the Moon, they will also land simultaneously, but the fall will take longer due to the Moon’s weaker gravity.
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Beyond the Answer
Both the 5 kg hammer and the 0.001 kg feather will reach the ground at the same time when dropped in a frictionless environment because they both experience the same acceleration due to gravity, regardless of their mass. This principle is a fundamental aspect of Galileo’s experiments, illustrating that in the absence of air resistance, all objects fall at the same rate.
On the Moon, the scenario changes a bit because the gravitational acceleration is weaker (about 1/6th of Earth’s). However, since there’s still no air resistance, both the hammer and the feather would fall at a slower rate compared to Earth, but still hit the ground simultaneously. So, the time it takes for them to fall on the Moon would be greater than on Earth, but they’d both still land together!
