Department of Pre-University Education, KarnatakaPUC Karnataka Science Class 11

# If Heavier Bodies Are Attracted More Strongly by the Earth, Why Don'T They Fall Faster than the Lighter Bodies? - Physics

Short Note

If heavier bodies are attracted more strongly by the earth, why don't they fall faster than the lighter bodies?

#### Solution

We know that acceleration due to a force on a body of mass in given by $a = \frac{F}{m}$ If F is the gravitational force acting on a body of mass m, then a is the acceleration of a free falling body.
This force is given as $F = G\frac{Mm}{R^2}$
Here, M is the mass of the Earth; G is the universal gravitational constant and R is the radius of the Earth.
∴ Acceleration due to gravity, $a = \frac{F}{m} = \frac{GM}{R^2}$
From the above relation, we can see that acceleration produced in a body does not depend on the mass of the body. So, acceleration due to gravity is the same for all bodies.

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#### APPEARS IN

HC Verma Class 11, 12 Concepts of Physics 1
Chapter 11 Gravitation
Short Answers | Q 3 | Page 223