Question

1. how does gravity affect the motion of a free-falling object in a vacuum?

Explanation:

In physics (a subfield of Natural Science), gravity exerts a constant downward acceleration (denoted as \( g \), approximately \( 9.8\,\text{m/s}^2 \) near Earth's surface) on a free - falling object in a vacuum. This means the object's velocity increases linearly with time (\( v = v_0+gt \), where \( v_0 \) is the initial velocity, usually 0 for free - fall from rest) and the displacement follows \( s=v_0t+\frac{1}{2}gt^2 \). There's no air resistance in a vacuum, so gravity is the only significant force acting, causing uniform acceleration and a predictable motion pattern (increasing speed, parabolic position - time graph for constant acceleration).

Answer:

In a vacuum, gravity causes a free - falling object to undergo uniform acceleration (with an acceleration of approximately \( 9.8\,\text{m/s}^2 \) near Earth's surface). The object's velocity increases linearly with time (\( v = v_0 + gt \), often \( v_0 = 0 \) for free - fall from rest) and its displacement from the starting point is given by \( s=v_0t+\frac{1}{2}gt^2 \). Since there's no air resistance, gravity is the only dominant force, leading to a motion where the speed continuously increases at a constant rate.