How far does an object dropped from rest fall in 5.2 seconds? - Answers

All objects in free fall experience an acceleration due to gravity of 32 m/s² at all times. Some basic knowledge of physics gives us the equation d=vi*t+1/2*a*t² Where d is the distance traveled, vi is the initial velocity, t is the time of travel and a is the acceleration. Plugging in the values vi=0 (meaning theres no initial velocity), t=5.2s and a=-32m/s² (negative because gravity pulls you downward) we get the equation d=0*5.2s + 1/2 * (-32 m/s²) * (5.2s)² Which when simplified tells us that the distance fallen is 432.64 feet. However, in real life, friction means that we will never get an answer as nice as this. Friction constantly opposes the motion of any moving object, meaning that in a given time less distance will be covered than estimated by this equation. Sadly, without knowing more about the object (its shape, mass, and composition) there's no way to calculate how much effect friction will have.