Chapter 6, Problem 49A

Can you think of a reason why the acceleration of an object thrown downward through the air would actually be less than $10{\text{ m/s}}^{\text{2}}$?

To determine

To explain: The reason for the acceleration of an object to be less than the given value for the situation.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

Air resistance is basically the resistance force generated by air that depends on two factors: the surface area of the body and the speed of the body.

Description:

An object is thrown downwards.Now, consider the effect of air resistance in such case.When the ball is accelerating downwards, the air resistance acts as a frictional force which lowers the acceleration of the ball.So, the acceleration of the ball thrown downwards will be less than $10{\text{ m/s}}^2$ due to air resistance that is acting in the opposite direction.

Conclusion:

Thus, the net acceleration will be less than $10{\text{ m/s}}^2$