Here's why:
* Gravity's Constant Acceleration: In a vacuum, all objects, regardless of their mass, accelerate at the same rate due to gravity. This rate is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s²) on Earth.
* Air Resistance: In the real world, air resistance plays a significant role. A heavier object will encounter more air resistance, but only because it has a larger surface area or is less aerodynamic. The heavier object will still fall faster than the lighter object, but this is due to the force of air resistance, not gravity itself.
* Galileo's Experiment: The famous experiment by Galileo Galilei demonstrates this principle. He dropped objects of different masses from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and found they landed at approximately the same time, proving that gravity affects all objects equally.
Example:
Imagine a feather and a bowling ball dropped simultaneously from the same height in a vacuum chamber. Both objects will fall at the same speed and reach the ground at the same time.
Key takeaway: Gravity pulls on all objects with the same force, regardless of their mass. This means all objects fall at the same rate in a vacuum.
