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How to Calculate the Force of a Dropping Object

The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When the asteroid Chicxulub struck the Earth approximately 65 million years ago, it left a 3,000-foot-deep, 112-mile-wide crater; when a raindrop strikes the earth, no one notices. The force created by a falling object, or impact force, is a function of the weight of the object, the distance it falls, and the distance it travels after impact. You can easily calculate the force of a falling object.

Things You'll Need

Pencil
Paper
Calculator

Instructions

- 1
  Write the weight of the falling object. For example, write "3 kilograms (6.61 pounds)."
- 2
  Write the distance the object falls. For example, write "1 meter (1.09 yards)."
- 3
  Find the product of the weight of the falling object and the distance the object falls using a calculator. For example, 3 x 1 = 3.
- 4
  Find the product of your answer and the acceleration of gravity using a calculator. By definition, the acceleration of gravity anywhere close to the surface of the Earth is approximately 9.81 meters per second squared. For example, 3 x 9.81 = 29.43. This is the kinetic energy of the falling object in Joules just before the object strikes.
- 5
  Write the distance the object continues to travel after impact. For example, write "0.1 meters (0.109 yards)."
- 6
  Find the product of the kinetic energy of the falling object just before impact and the distance it continues to travel after the impact. For example, 0.1 x 29.43 = 2.943.
- 7
  Write your answer using the correct units, which is Newtons (N). For example, write "2.943 Newtons (N)." The impact force of the falling object you have analyzed is 2.943 Newtons.

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