Question

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

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

Answer 1

The correct response is:

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

In a vacuum (like on a planet without air), all objects fall at the same rate regardless of their mass, due to the uniform acceleration caused by gravity. This principle was famously demonstrated by astronaut David Scott during the Apollo 15 mission, where he dropped a hammer and a feather simultaneously, and they both hit the ground at the same time.