Free fall is the process by which an object without momentum, such as a human or animal, falls without being pinned or restrained to the earth. It is possible for an object with no momentum to fall freely.
The earth’s surface is a very smooth surface that prevents objects from getting trapped. It also has few sources of energy, making free fall more dramatic.
Some objects do not have the necessary movement to free fall normally.
Objects moving at the same speed as Earth move along with it
When objects move at the same speed as Earth, they often acquire a large gravitational influence from our planet. This happens most noticeably when objects move at the same speed as sound.
When a sound is heard, it can often be felt by an object moving at the same speed as sound. This is because the object is passing through another object or substance that is moving faster than it is.
When these two objects are intersecting, it can cause a powerful impact that can be heard even with no source device present. The level of destructiveness of these impacts depends on how heavily pressured the falling object is when it strikes Earth.
Objects moving significantly slower than Earth will fall behind it
When objects move significantly slower than Earth, they can be rare objects that fall into free fall for a short time.
These slower objects can be spacecraft, airplanes, or cars that enter free fall after tumbling in the atmosphere.
Their movement phase is still extended due to Earth moving while orbiting.
Objects moving significantly faster than Earth will fall ahead of it
When objects moving very fast fall behind Earth, it can create a rare phenomenon called a fortunate fall. A fortunate fall occurs when an object hits the ground at a low speed, and it beneficially impacts the ground instead of escaping into space.
Gravity is the force that holds Earth in orbit around the sun. When something falls into gravitational pull from Earth, it becomes part of this powerful force. If the object were to escape into space, it would be gone for good.
Unfortunately, our disappearing acts are not very efficient ways to keep objects stuck. Several occurrences of vanishingly slow falling objects have been reported, which is why we need to further investigate these rare events.
The majority of objects near Earth’s surface are less dense than it is
Rock and other materials are made of rock and metal, both of which are dense. This contributes to the rarity of objects in free fall.
Because rocks are denser than air, they can stick to each other and continue falling despite losing some velocity. This can last for years before it dissipates.
Since rocks don’t have a liquid or gas phase, they don’t break down as easily as other objects in space. This makes space rocks that fall near Earth more rare.
When an object loses enough speed in free fall, it may survive by using momentum from another object or from its own fall. Since there aren’t many rocks out there getting by without help, these rare falls occur.
The majority of objects near Earth’s surface are relatively small
Most objects near Earth’s surface are relatively small, roughly the size of a car or truck.
This is due to the fact that Earth is large – about 1,600 miles (2,500 km) in diameter! Most of the space in which objects live is large.
However, there are some rare objects that are extremely small, and fall into a specific class of object called tesseractics. These objects are only about three to four times as tall as Earth and weigh less than an ounce (25 grams).
These tesseractics can be found in deep space, where they apparently exist alone.
Gravity is not a constant force throughout the universe
There are some objects in the universe that have a near-constant gravity, called a graviton. These gravitons can stick to other gravitons and form larger objects.
Gravitons are sometimes called the force of attraction between matter and antimatter in the Universe. When two or more gravitons combine, it can create extremely powerful forces, such as those that hold together entire planets.
There are two kinds of graviton: weak and strong. A super-strong graviton is very rare, but we can detect its effects on ordinary matter.
Averages of stars contain traces of strong gravitrons, which coat most large objects with a thin layer of strong gravity.
Air resistance affects falling objects near Earth’s surface
Air resistance, or drag, affects how much power is required to fall objects toward the surface. When objects have less power required to move them forward and upward, they are more likely to remain on the surface.
Drag is a major factor in determining whether an object is rare or not. An iron ball can be dragged far down before giving up and falling away, while a paper plate will stay in place easier.
The density of an object also plays a role in how hard it hits the ground. A thin metal disk may easily break on impact, while a thicker plastic plate may last more time before breaking.
Falling objects approach but never reach free fall conditions
When an object is near the surface of the Earth, it is in the process of falling. The object must be large enough to allow it to fall through the material layer.
The density of matter around the Earth’s surface is higher than in space, where gravity does not exist. This is why objects fall at a slow rate and reach a ground location before flying off into free fall and striking a target.
This rare condition occurs when an object is so large that it can no longer maintain its shape when falling. It must also be large enough to allow it to pass through the material layer as if it were a train going by.
