Understanding the Concepts
* Free Fall: An object in free fall experiences only the force of gravity. We assume no air resistance for simplicity.
* Acceleration due to Gravity (g): On Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s². This means the object's speed increases by 9.8 meters per second every second it falls.
* Initial Velocity: Since the object is in free fall, we assume its initial velocity (v₀) is 0 m/s.
Formula
We can use the following kinematic equation to find the final velocity (v):
v = v₀ + at
where:
* v = final velocity
* v₀ = initial velocity (0 m/s)
* a = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²)
* t = time (6 seconds)
Calculation
1. Plug in the values:
v = 0 + (9.8 m/s²) * (6 s)
2. Calculate:
v = 58.8 m/s
Answer: The object will have a speed of 58.8 m/s after falling for 6 seconds.
