Question
A soccer ball and a car are dropped from the same height in a vacuum on Earth.
A. The soccer ball and the car experience the same gravitational force. B. The soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration due to gravity. C. The car will take less time to reach the ground than the soccer ball
A. The soccer ball and the car experience the same gravitational force. B. The soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration due to gravity. C. The car will take less time to reach the ground than the soccer ball
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Let's analyze each statement one by one, keeping in mind the conditions of the scenario where both a soccer ball and a car are dropped from the same height in a vacuum on Earth:
A. **The soccer ball and the car experience the same gravitational force.**
- This statement is **false**. The gravitational force acting on an object is given by the formula \( F = m \cdot g \), where \( m \) is the mass of the object and \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity. The car, being more massive than the soccer ball, experiences a greater gravitational force.
B. **The soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration due to gravity.**
- This statement is **true**. In a vacuum, all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass due to gravity, which is approximately \( 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) near the surface of the Earth. Thus, both the soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration.
C. **The car will take less time to reach the ground than the soccer ball.**
- This statement is **false**. In the absence of air resistance (as in a vacuum), both the soccer ball and the car will reach the ground at the same time because they are both falling under the influence of the same acceleration due to gravity.
In summary:
- Statement A is false.
- Statement B is true.
- Statement C is false.
A. **The soccer ball and the car experience the same gravitational force.**
- This statement is **false**. The gravitational force acting on an object is given by the formula \( F = m \cdot g \), where \( m \) is the mass of the object and \( g \) is the acceleration due to gravity. The car, being more massive than the soccer ball, experiences a greater gravitational force.
B. **The soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration due to gravity.**
- This statement is **true**. In a vacuum, all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass due to gravity, which is approximately \( 9.81 \, \text{m/s}^2 \) near the surface of the Earth. Thus, both the soccer ball and the car experience the same acceleration.
C. **The car will take less time to reach the ground than the soccer ball.**
- This statement is **false**. In the absence of air resistance (as in a vacuum), both the soccer ball and the car will reach the ground at the same time because they are both falling under the influence of the same acceleration due to gravity.
In summary:
- Statement A is false.
- Statement B is true.
- Statement C is false.