Question

which of these dot diagrams best describe the motion of a free-falling object that is dropped from rest? tap to select or deselect an answer. diagram a diagram b diagram c student name: activity: describing free fall progress report #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 tap for question-specific help help me! view directions to main menu

Explanation:

Step1: Recall free - fall motion

A free - falling object (dropped from rest) accelerates due to gravity. The distance it travels in successive equal time intervals increases. Mathematically, the distance fallen \(d=\frac{1}{2}gt^{2}\), where \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity and \(t\) is time. So, in each subsequent time interval, the object covers more distance. This means that the dots representing the object's position at equal time intervals should be spaced further and further apart as time (and the object's fall) progresses.

Step2: Analyze the diagrams

• Diagram A: The dots are equally spaced. This would represent an object moving at a constant velocity, not a free - falling object (which accelerates).
• Diagram B: The spacing between dots is decreasing. This would represent an object decelerating, which is not the case for a free - falling object dropped from rest.
• Diagram C: The spacing between dots is increasing. This is consistent with the fact that a free - falling object accelerates, so it covers more distance in each successive equal time interval.

Answer:

Diagram C