Calculate the time of falling, and the final velocity of an object, (or human), in free fall. Enter the initial velocity and height and this calculator will determine the final speed and time. (Assuming earth’s gravitational acceleration.

Free Fall Formula

The formula to calculate the final velocity of an object in free fall is:

 v = v₀ + g * t
• Where v is final velocity (m/s)
• v₀ is the initial velocity (m/s)
• g is the acceleration due to gravity (m/s^2)
• t is total time. (s)

To calculate the velocity of a free fall (excluding air resistance), multiply the acceleration due to gravity by the time of fall.

All of these values are typically known in a free-fall problem except time. To calculate the time we use the following formula:

• where t is total time
• d is distance traveled (height)
• g is the acceleration due to gravity.

Free Fall Definition

Freefall is defined as the movement of one object to another through the force of gravity and under no other forces. In reality, air resistance would usually be present, but free-fall problems typically exclude this.

How to calculate free fall

Let’s look at an example of how to calculate the kinematic values of an object in free fall.

Let’s assume that you’re going on a skydiving adventure, but everything goes wrong! How long do you have to live before you hit the ground and how fast will you be going.

First, we will calculate the final time. Let’s assume you’re jumping from a height of 10,000 meters. Using the formula above, we get a total time of 45.17 seconds. Not too long to live buddy, sorry!

Next, we will need to calculate how fast you will be going to see if you can survive the fall…(hint you can’t). Using the time from above and assuming an initial velocity of 0, we get a final velocity of 442.66m/s.

It should be noted that in a real-world application you would not be going so fast due to the resistance of airspeed. The formulas above assume a vacuum.

The following steps are required to calculate an object in free fall.

1. First, you need the height of the object.
2. Second, you need the mass of both objects. More detail on this can be found in our gravitational force calculator.
3. Last, you need to understand the formula for the velocity of an object undergoing free fall.

FAQ

What is free fall?

Free fall is defined as the movement of one object to another due to the force of gravity.