IGCSEScienceCambridge (CIE)Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award)PhysicsRevision Notes1. Motion, Forces & EnergyMotionFreefall

Freefall (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Co-ordinated Sciences (Double Award): Physics): Revision Note

Exam code: 0654 & 0973

Written by: Leander Oates

Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll

Updated on 2 July 2026

Acceleration of free fall

Extended Tier Only

In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall with the same acceleration regardless of their mass
This is called the acceleration of freefall
- This is also sometimes called acceleration due to gravity

$acceleration of freefall = g = 9.8 m / s^{2}$

leaning-tower-of-pisa, IGCSE & GCSE Chemistry revision notes

In the absence of air resistance, Galileo discovered that all objects (near Earth's surface) fall with an acceleration of about 9.8 m/s²

This means that for every second an object falls, its velocity will increase by 9.8 m/s

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The symbol $g$ also stands for the gravitational field strength, and can be used to calculate the force of weight acting an object using its mass:

$W = m g$

Where:
- $W$ = the force of weight acting on an object, measured in newtons (N)
- $m$ = mass of object, measured in kilograms (kg)
- $g$ = gravitational field strength, measured in newtons per kilogram (N/kg)

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