Falling Bodies, Laws of

When a body falls freely in vacuo it is actuated by a force which may be taken as constant, consequently its velocity will be uniformly accelerated. The constant increment to the velocity in one second is called the acceleration , and is a measure of the force. (See Force of Gravity .) The velocity acquired at the end of a certain time will be found by multiplying the force of gravity by the number of seconds. The laws of falling bodies are given by the following equations: v = gt v = √  2 gh   h = v 2 2 g In which v is the velocity acquired, h the height fallen through, g the force of gravity, and t the time in seconds. These laws are approximately true for dense or heavy bodies falling for a few seconds in the atmosphere. For longer periods, v is le than that due to h under the above laws. For full discu ion, see Final Velocity .