Why Do Objects Fall Slower on the Moon?

[UltraPhysical]

I am a high school student who needs help understanding some aspects of Physics. My main areas of deficiency are: Average Speed while falling for time,t: Vave= (1/2)v , and projectile motion on the moon.
(1/2)at
I am really struggling to grasp these concepts so please dumb it down for me.

thank you,

UltraPhysical

 

[Integral]

Originally posted by UltraPhysical
I am a high school student who needs help understanding some aspects of Physics. My main areas of deficiency are: Average Speed while falling for time,t: Vave= (1/2)v ,

A falling body accelerates at g, so if at time t₀ your falling body has veloicity V₀ some at later time say t₁ it will have a velocity V₁. The average velocity will be

$$V_{ave} = \frac {V_1 + V_0} 2$$

This is the same average that you should be used to when averaging any set of numbers. Now if you are considering a body which starts at rest V₀=0 so the average velocity is simply V₁/2 which appears to be the formula you have. A key thing to know is that this only applies to a body which is starting with 0 velocity.

and projectile motion on the moon.
(1/2)at

The only difference between projectile motion on the Earth and the moon is the value of the acceleration due to gravity. That of the moon is usually taken as g/6.

I am not sure what the expression you have written is or what it has to do with projectile motion, it represents half the velocity at some some time t. (Perhaps an average?)

I am really struggling to grasp these concepts so please dumb it down for me.

thank you,

UltraPhysical

That help any?

 

[GSXR750]

Hi UltraPhysical,

I'm happy to help you understand these concepts in Physics. Let's start with average speed while falling for time,t. This refers to the average speed of an object as it falls for a certain amount of time. The formula you mentioned, Vave= (1/2)v + (1/2)at, is the equation for average speed, where v is the initial velocity and a is the acceleration due to gravity. To calculate the average speed, you would need to know the initial velocity and the acceleration due to gravity. The acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.8 m/s^2, but it may be different on the moon. You can use this formula to calculate the average speed of an object as it falls.

Now, let's talk about projectile motion on the moon. Projectile motion is the motion of an object that is launched into the air and moves in a curved path due to the force of gravity. On the moon, the acceleration due to gravity is 1.6 m/s^2, which is much less than on Earth. This means that objects will fall slower on the moon compared to Earth. To calculate the motion of an object on the moon, you can use the same equations as you would on Earth, but with a different value for acceleration due to gravity.

I hope this helps you understand these concepts better. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. Keep working hard and don't give up, you got this! Best of luck in your studies.