Question

A hammer and a feather are dropped from the same height by an astronaut on a planet without air. How will their falls compare?(1 point)
Responses

The feather will fall faster because it has less mass, allowing it to speed up more easily than the hammer.
The feather will fall faster because it has less mass, allowing it to speed up more easily than the hammer.

The hammer will fall faster because gravity is pulling it down with a greater force than it is pulling the feather.
The hammer will fall faster because gravity is pulling it down with a greater force than it is pulling the feather.

The objects will fall at the same time because gravity is not acting on them, so they will be affected the same.
The objects will fall at the same time because gravity is not acting on them, so they will be affected the same.

The objects will fall at the same time because gravity will have the same affect on them.

Answer 1

The objects will fall at the same time because gravity will have the same affect on them.

Reason: gravity exerts a force F = mg that is larger on the hammer, but acceleration a = F/m = g is the same for both objects (neglecting air resistance). In a vacuum they therefore fall together.