Free Fall Calculator
Calculate time, velocity, and distance for objects in free fall.
This tool is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional financial, medical, legal, or engineering advice. See Terms of Service.
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Request a ToolHow to Use the Free Fall Calculator
Select whether you want to calculate from height or from time. Enter the known value. The calculator computes the fall time, final velocity, and distance using the equations of motion under constant gravitational acceleration.
About Free Fall
Free fall describes the motion of an object under the sole influence of gravity, with no air resistance. Near Earth's surface, all freely falling objects accelerate at g = 9.81 m/s2. The key equations are: distance = 0.5gt2, velocity = gt, and velocity2 = 2g times distance. These equations are special cases of the SUVAT equations with zero initial velocity and constant acceleration equal to g.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is free fall?
Free fall is motion under gravity alone with no air resistance. All objects in free fall accelerate at the same rate regardless of mass: approximately 9.81 m/s2 on Earth.
Does mass affect free fall speed?
In a vacuum, no. Galileo demonstrated that all objects fall at the same rate regardless of mass. In real conditions, air resistance affects lighter or less dense objects more.
How fast does a free-falling object go after 1 second?
After 1 second of free fall from rest, an object reaches approximately 9.81 m/s (about 35 km/h). It falls about 4.9 meters in that time.