Understanding the Concepts

* Free Fall: When an object falls freely, its acceleration is due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²).

* Newton's Second Law: This law states that the net force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration (F = ma).

Solution

1. Identify the acceleration: The acceleration of the puck in free fall is the acceleration due to gravity, 9.8 m/s².

2. Apply Newton's Second Law: We want the puck to have the same acceleration on the air table as it would in free fall. Since the mass of the puck is 1 kg, the required horizontal force is:

F = ma = (1 kg)(9.8 m/s²) = 9.8 N

Therefore, you must apply a horizontal force of 9.8 Newtons to the puck on the frictionless air table to make it accelerate at the same rate as it would in free fall.