Velocity of a Falling Object

Initializing live version
Download to Desktop

Requires a Wolfram Notebook System

Interact on desktop, mobile and cloud with the free Wolfram Player or other Wolfram Language products.

The graph of height as a function of time for an object falling straight down is a parabola. The average velocity of this falling object approaches its instantaneous velocity as the time interval tends to zero. Interpreting this geometrically on the parabola, the slope of a secant line approaches the slope of the tangent to the curve.

[more]

Neglecting air resistance, the object is falling to the ground from an initial height of 20 feet with an initial velocity of 0 feet/sec. Slide time to approximate the instantaneous velocity of a falling object either 0.2, 0.6, or 1 second after being dropped.

[less]

Contributed by: Jim Brandt (March 2011)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA


Snapshots


Details

detailSectionParagraph


Feedback (field required)
Email (field required) Name
Occupation Organization
Note: Your message & contact information may be shared with the author of any specific Demonstration for which you give feedback.
Send