What is meant by the statement that acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s2?

Jase Sawyer

Jase Sawyer

Answered question

2022-12-01

What is meant by the statement that acceleration due to gravity is 9.8m/s2?

Answer & Explanation

jockedripperHZT

jockedripperHZT

Beginner2022-12-02Added 13 answers

This means that the earth pulls anything towards it center, which gives the pulled object an acceleration of 9.8 meter, each second, during its 'fall' to earth. So the velocity (speed with a direction) of such a body pulled towards the earth increases by about 9.8 meters/second in each second.
This comes from;
F=GMm/d² ;
the famous equation of gravity, proposed by Isaac Newton.
And,
F=ma (also proposed by Newton)
So,
ma = GMm/d²
a = GM/d²
= 'g'
≈ 9.8
The value of g(9.8...) is success of an object being pulled depends on many factors, such as the altitude of the object, the density of the object, the latitude of the object, and the forces acting upon the object. (because the mass of earth, the distance between earth and the object, and external forces - on which acceleration due to gravity is dependent on - vary)
It simply means that a freely falling object would increase its velocity by 9.8 m/s per second.
This can be stated as-
9.8m/s/s which is nothing but 9.8m/s^2.

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