Will Same Shaped Objects That Weigh Differently Land Simultaneously?

4 August 2017, 11:06 | Updated: 4 August 2017, 12:20

Gravity
Picture: LBC

When you drop two objects of the same shape but different masses, why do they land on the floor at the same time?

Mystery Hour Question

Why when you drop two items of the same shape but differing weights do they hit the floor at the same time?

Seoul, Gateshead

Answer

Name: Professor Hal Sosabowski

Qualification: Professor of Public Understanding of Science at the University of Brighton

Answer: The Monkey and the Hunter experiment states that everything falls at the same rate, but light things appear to fall slower than heavy things because of the density of air. In the absence of air things fall at the same rate, and when all other factors are equal things will fall at the same rate.