* Gravity is the dominant force: The only force acting on a free-falling object is gravity. This force pulls the object downwards towards the center of the Earth.
* Air resistance: While air resistance does play a role, it's usually negligible at the beginning of the fall. As the object speeds up, air resistance increases, but it never completely balances out gravity during free fall.
What about terminal velocity?
Terminal velocity is a special case. It's the constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity. At this point, the forces are balanced, and the object stops accelerating.
In summary:
* Free fall: Only gravity acts on the object, so forces are unbalanced.
* Terminal velocity: Gravity and air resistance are balanced, resulting in constant velocity.
