Free Fall Simulation and Graphs
Everything falls at the same rate in the absence of air resistance, and this simulation demonstrates it while plotting position, velocity and acceleration in real time. Drop objects of different masses together to test the claim.
How to use this simulation
- Drop objects of different masses simultaneously
- Toggle air resistance on and off
- Change the drop height and the value of g
What to look for
- Different masses land together with air resistance switched off
- The velocity graph is a straight line while the position graph curves
- With air resistance on, the heavier object wins and both approach a terminal velocity
The physics behind it
Under gravity alone the acceleration is g ≈ 9.81 m/s² downwards, independent of mass — the heavier object has more weight but proportionally more inertia. Velocity grows linearly as v = gt while distance grows quadratically as s = ½gt², which is why a falling object covers far more ground in its second second than its first.