Enter the force of air resistance and the object’s mass into the calculator to determine the Free Fall Acceleration. 

Free Fall Acceleration Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Free Fall Acceleration.

Aff = g - (Fa/m)
  • Where Aff is the Free Fall Acceleration (m/s^2)
  • Fa is the force of air resistance (N)
  • m is the mass of the object (kg)
  • g is the acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 (m/s^2)

To calculate the free-fall acceleration, subtract the division of the air resistance force and mass of the object from the acceleration due to gravity.

What are the units for Free Fall Acceleration?

In the International System of Units, also known as SI units, the units for Free Fall Acceleration are m/s^2.

How to Calculate Free Fall Acceleration?

Example Problem:

The following example problem outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Free Fall Acceleration.

First, determine the force of air resistance. In this example, the force of air resistance is calculated or measured to be 500 (N).

Next, determine the mass of the object. For this problem, the mass of the object is determined to be 100 (kg).

Finally, calculate the Free Fall Acceleration using the formula above: 

Aff = g – (Fa/m)

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation with the imputed values gives: 

Aff = 9.81 – (500/100) = 4.81 (m/s^2)