* Gravity: The only force acting on the ball is gravity. Gravity pulls objects towards the center of the Earth, which is downwards.
* Constant Acceleration: Gravity provides a constant acceleration, approximately 9.8 m/s² (meters per second squared) near the Earth's surface. This means the ball's velocity decreases by 9.8 m/s every second as it goes up, and increases by 9.8 m/s every second as it falls down.
Important Note: While the acceleration is always downward, the ball's *velocity* changes direction. It's positive (upwards) as the ball rises, zero at the highest point, and negative (downwards) as the ball falls.
