Free fall

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/free-fall

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the classical mechanics definition?Motion solely under the influence of gravity, irrespective of direction
2. Why do astronauts feel weightless in space?They feel weightless because they and everything around them are falling together at the same rate, so there is no normal force pushing up on them.
3. How does the Moon stay in orbit around Earth?The Moon is in free fall, constantly falling toward Earth, but its sideways speed is so high that it keeps missing the planet, creating a stable orbit.

Geodesic: The shortest or longest path between two points on a curved surface or in spacetime.
Spacetime Curvature: The warping or bending of the fabric of space and time by the presence of mass and energy.
Tangential Velocity: The velocity of an object moving along a circular or curved path, perpendicular to the radius.