Its oh so quiet Shh Shh

[Stefan-A]

So, this one's a real question....

My answer: The same as for any other accelerating object.

[adamanteus]

No, rate of acceleration would vary depending on the force driving the object. The force in this instance being gravity, 'free-falling' would exclude such aerodynamic objects as feathers etc.... let's say, for the sake of argument, a small steel sphere dropped from a great height.

[Stefan-A]

No, rate of acceleration would vary depending on the force driving the object. The force in this instance being gravity, 'free-falling' would exclude such aerodynamic objects as feathers etc.... let's say, for the sake of argument, a small steel sphere dropped from a great height.

The formula is still the same.

[adamanteus]

It can't be... My car accelerates at an alarmingly slow rate... especially at traffic lights!
There is a recognised formula for free fall acceleration.

[Stefan-A]

There is a recognised formula for free fall acceleration.

And the same formula is used for all cases of constant acceleration.

[adamanteus]

And that formula is......?

[Stefan-A]

And that formula is......?

You can torture me all you want, I'll never give you the formula.

[adamanteus]

That's how you want to play things is it? Right... bring out the houmous!

[Stefan-A]

Right, I'm off to bed.

YouTube - Monty Python - Spanish Inquisition Torture Scene

[adamanteus]

Near sea level, an object in free fall in a vacuum will accelerate at approximately 9.81 m/s2, regardless of its mass.

Which equates to an acceleration rate of 33 ft per second per second (in English money)!