Free Fall Calculator

Distance and speed of an object dropped from rest (ignoring air resistance).

How the Math Works

The Free Fall Calculator uses two fundamental physics equations to determine motion under gravity. The distance formula d = ½ g t² shows that falling distance increases with the square of time, meaning an object falling for twice as long travels four times farther. The velocity formula v = g t reveals that speed grows linearly with time, so after two seconds the object moves twice as fast as after one second. Here, g represents gravitational acceleration (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth), t is the fall duration, d is the total distance fallen, and v is the instantaneous speed at that moment.

Practical Applications

To use this calculator, simply enter the time duration of free fall in seconds and the calculator will compute both the distance fallen and the impact velocity. For example, if an object falls for 3 seconds, plug t = 3 into both formulas: distance equals ½ × 9.8 × 3² = 44.1 meters, and velocity equals 9.8 × 3 = 29.4 m/s. This tool eliminates manual calculation errors and saves time when solving physics problems or engineering scenarios involving projectile motion, allowing you to quickly verify theoretical predictions or design safety parameters for falling objects.

Day-to-Day Use

Understanding free fall calculations helps you estimate how long it takes for objects to hit the ground, which is useful for everything from dropping items from heights to understanding safety distances. If you're cleaning gutters, moving furniture, or even just dropping something into a dumpster, knowing the impact speed helps you assess whether the object will break or sustain damage. This knowledge also aids in recreational activities like skydiving training, construction work, or even academic settings where you need to predict landing times for experiments or demonstrations.

Worked example

After 3 s → 44.1 m fallen, 29.4 m/s.

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