Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

1 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

Resources, Tools and Basic Information for Engineering and Design of Technical Applications! - adapts
seamlessly to phones, pads and desktops!

- "Search is the most efficient way to navigate the

Engineering ToolBox!"

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

Acceleration of gravity and Newton's Second Law - SI and Imperial units
Acceleration of gravity is one of the most used physical constants - known from

Newton's Second Law

"Change of motion is proportional to the force applied, and take place along the straight line the
force acts."
Newton's second law for the gravity force - weight - can be expressed as
F=mg

(1)

where
F = force, weight (N, lbf)
m = mass (kg, slugs)
g = acceleration of gravity (9.81 m/s2, 32.17405 ft/s2)
The force caused by gravity - g - is called weight. Note! Mass - m - is a property.
The acceleration of gravity can be observed by measuring the change of velocity of a free falling object:
g = dv / dt

(2)

where
dv = change in velocity (m/s, ft/s)
dt = change in time (s)
A dropped object accelerate to a speed of 9.81 m/s or 32.174 ft/s in one second.
heavy and light bodies near the earth falls toward the earth with the same acceleration

Acceleration of Gravity in SI Units

g = 9.81 m/s2

Acceleration of Gravity in Imperial Units

g = 32.174 ft/s2 = 386.1 in/s2 = 35 kph/s = 22 mph/s

Velocity and Distance Traveled of a Free Falling Object

The velocity of a free fall object can be expressed as:
v=gt

(3)

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

2 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

where
v = velocity
The distance traveled by a free falling object can be expressed as:
s = 1/2 g t2

(4)

where
s = distance traveled by the object
The velocity and distance traveled by a free falling object:
Velocity

Distance

Time
(s)

m/s

km/h

ft/s

mph

ft

9.8

35.3

32.2

21.9

4.9

16.1

19.6

70.6

64.3

43.8

19.6

64.3

29.4

106

96.5

65.8

44.1

144.8

39.2

141

128.7

87.7

78.5

257.4

49.1

177

160.9

110

122.6

402.2

58.9

212

193.0

132

176.6

579.1

68.7

247

225.2

154

240.3

788.3

78.5

283

257.4

176

313.9

1,029.6

88.3

318

289.6

198

397.3

1,303.0

10

98.1

353

321.7

219

490.5

1,608.7

Note! The velocities are achieved without aerodynamical resistance (vacuum). The air resistance is significant
for higher velocities or for objects with larger surface area to mass ratio - like feathers or similar.

Example - Free Falling Stone

A stone is dropped from 1470 ft (448 m) - approximately the height of Empire State Building. The time it takes
to reach the ground (without air resistance) can be calculated by rearranging eq. (4):

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

3 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

t = (2 s / g)1/2
= (2 (1470 ft) / (32.174 ft/s2 ))1/2
= 9.6 s
The velocity of the stone when it hits the ground can be calculated with (3):
v = (32.174 ft/s2) (9.6 s)
= 308 ft/s
= 210 mph
= 94 m/s
= 338 km/h
Example - A Ball Thrown Straight Up
A ball is thrown straight up with an initial velocity of 25 m/s. The time before the ball stops and start falling can
be calculated by modifying (3) to
t=v/g
= (25 m/s) / (9.81 m/s2)
= 2.55 s
The distance traveled by the ball before it turns down can be calculated by using (4) as
s = 1/2 (9.81 m/s2) (2.55 s)2
= 31.8 m

Newton's First Law

"Every body continues in a state of rest or in a uniform motion in a straight line, until it is
compelled by a force to change its state of rest or motion."

Newton's Third Law

"To every action there is always an equal reaction - if a force acts to change the state of motion
of a body, the body offers a resistance equal and directly opposite to the force."

Common Expressions
superimposed loads: kN/m 2
mass loads: kg/m 2 or kg/m 3
stress: N/mm 2
bending moment: kNm
shear: kN
1 N/mm = 1 kN/m
1 N/mm 2 = 103 kN/m2
1 kNm = 106 Nmm

Related Topics

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

4 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

Basics - Basic Information as SI-system, Unit converters, Physical constants

Dynamics - Dynamics Motion - velocity and acceleration
Mechanics - Kinematics, forces, vectors, motion, momentum, energy and the dynamics of objects

Related Documents
Universal Gravitational Law - Gravitational attraction of two objects depends upon mass of objects
and the distance between them
Mass and Weight - Weight and mass - the difference
Car Acceleration - Calculating car acceleration
SI System - An introduction to the SI-system
Acceleration Units Converter - Convert between common units of accelerations
Body Forces on Inclined Planes - Determine force required to move a body up on an inclined plane
Density, Specific Weight and Specific Gravity - An introduction and definition of density, specific
weight and specific gravity - formulas with examples
Force - Force, Newton's third Law and acceleration
Center of Gravity - Center of Buoyancy - Stability - Center of gravity and center of buoyancy
Centripetal and Centrifugal Force and Acceleration - Centripetal and Centrifugal acceleration force due to circular motion
Force Moving Body on a Horizontal Plane - The force acting on a body moved along a horizontal
plane
Range of Projectile - Motion in two dimensions - calculate the range of a projectile like a bullet, ball ...

Tag Search
en: acceleration gravity newton's second law
es: la segunda ley de Newton aceleracin de la gravedad
de: Beschleunigung der Schwerkraft Newtons zweites Gesetz

Search the Engineering ToolBox

- "Search is the most efficient way to navigate the
Engineering ToolBox!"

Engineering ToolBox - SketchUp Extension - Online 3D modeling!

Add standard and customized parametric components - like flange beams, lumbers, piping, stairs and more to your SketchUp model with the Engineering ToolBox - SketchUp Extension/Plugin - enabled for use with the
amazing, fun and free SketchUp Make and SketchUp Pro. Add the Engineering ToolBox extension to your
SketchUp from the Sketchup Extension Warehouse!

Translate the ToolBox

Arabic - Chinese (Simplified) - Chinese (Traditional) - Dutch - French - German - Italian - Japanese - Korean Portuguese - Russian - Spanish - - Select Your own language . .

About the ToolBox

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

5 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

We appreciate any comments and tips on how to make The Engineering ToolBox a better information source.
Please contact us by email
editor.engineeringtoolbox@gmail.com
if You find any faults, inaccuracies, or otherwise unacceptable information.
The content in The Engineering ToolBox is copyrighted but can be used with NO WARRANTY or LIABILITY.
Important information should always be double checked with alternative sources. All applicable national and
local regulations and practices concerning this aspects must be strictly followed and adhered to.

Home
Acoustics
Air Psychrometrics
Basics
Combustion
Drawing Tools
Dynamics
Economics
Electrical
Environment
Fluid Mechanics
Gas and Compressed Air
HVAC Systems
Hydraulics and Pneumatics
Insulation
Material Properties
Mathematics
Mechanics
Miscellaneous
Physiology
Piping Systems
Process Control
Pumps
Standard Organizations
Statics
Steam and Condensate
Thermodynamics
Water Systems

Unit Converter

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

6 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

Temperature
oC
oF

Length
m
km
in
ft
yards
miles
nautical miles
Volume
m3
liters
in3
ft3
us gal
Velocity
m/s
km/h
ft/min
ft/s
mph
knots
Pressure
Pa (N/m 2)
bar
mm H2O
kg/cm 2
psi
inches H2O
Flow
m 3/s
m 3/h
US gpm
cfm

4/6/2015 5:09 PM

Acceleration of Gravity and Newton's Second Law

7 of 7

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/accelaration-gravity-d_340.html

Share this Page!

Shortcut to Home Screen?

+3 Share this on Google+

Tweet
3 20

4/6/2015 5:09 PM