Which one of the following statements is not correct for a freely falling object?
It accelerates.
Its momentum keeps on changing.
Its motion is affected only by the gravity.
Its motion is affected both by the gravity as well as by the air resistance.
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC Geoscientist – 2022
– A) It accelerates: Correct. It accelerates downwards due to gravity (acceleration due to gravity, g).
– B) Its momentum keeps on changing: Correct. As it accelerates, its velocity changes, and momentum (mass x velocity) therefore changes.
– C) Its motion is affected only by the gravity: Correct. This is the definition of free fall in an ideal scenario (e.g., vacuum).
– D) Its motion is affected both by the gravity as well as by the air resistance: This statement is not correct for a *freely falling object* as defined in physics. Free fall explicitly excludes significant air resistance. While real objects falling in an atmosphere experience both, the term “freely falling object” usually implies the ideal case where air resistance is negligible.
– Air resistance is typically ignored in the definition of free fall.
– A freely falling object accelerates and its momentum changes.