- #1
barryj
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Homework Statement
Most physics problems that involve a falling body assume constant acceleration. How does one account for the changing acceleration if a body is dropped from a very high altitude?
Homework Equations
With constant acceleration, d = (1/2)at^2 or t = sqrt(2d/a)
but a is not really constant so How is this solved.
The Attempt at a Solution
My first thought was to do a piece wise solution. Start at a given altitude, assume a small time, say one second and calculate the distance traveled. Then calculate the acceleration based on the new distance between bodies and continue. Is there a closed form solutio?