* Gravity is a constant force: Every object with mass exerts a gravitational force on every other object with mass. The Earth's mass is immense, so it exerts a very strong gravitational pull on everything near it. This force is constant, meaning it doesn't change based on the object's mass.
* Acceleration is proportional to force: Newton's second law of motion states that acceleration is directly proportional to the net force acting on an object and inversely proportional to its mass (a = F/m).
* Mass cancels out: When an object falls, the force acting on it is gravity (F = mg, where g is the acceleration due to gravity). Since the force of gravity is proportional to the object's mass, and acceleration is force divided by mass, the mass terms cancel out. This means the acceleration due to gravity is the same for all objects, regardless of their mass.
In simpler terms:
Imagine a feather and a bowling ball falling. The bowling ball has much more mass than the feather, meaning it experiences a much stronger force of gravity. However, it also has much more inertia (resistance to change in motion). The larger force and larger inertia balance each other out, resulting in the same acceleration for both the feather and the bowling ball.
Important Note: This explanation assumes there is no air resistance. In reality, air resistance affects objects differently based on their shape and size. This is why a feather falls much slower than a bowling ball in the real world. In a vacuum, however, both would fall at the same rate.
