What is the standard acceleration due to gravity near Earth's surface?

What is the standard acceleration due to gravity near Earth's surface?

• A. 9.8 m/s
• B. 9.8 m/s^2
• C. 0 m/s^2
• D. 1 m/s^2

Answer: (B)

Gravity gives a steady downward acceleration to objects near Earth's surface, meaning their speed increases by about 9.8 meters per second for every second of fall (ignoring air resistance). The units are meters per second squared because acceleration is how velocity changes per unit time. The usual value used is 9.8 m/s^2 (often rounded to 9.81), with tiny variations possible at different heights or locations. The other options don’t describe this effect: one is in meters per second, which is velocity, not acceleration; another implies no acceleration; and the last is an order of magnitude too small. So 9.8 m/s^2 is the correct description of gravitational acceleration near the surface.

Gravity gives a steady downward acceleration to objects near Earth's surface, meaning their speed increases by about 9.8 meters per second for every second of fall (ignoring air resistance). The units are meters per second squared because acceleration is how velocity changes per unit time. The usual value used is 9.8 m/s^2 (often rounded to 9.81), with tiny variations possible at different heights or locations. The other options don’t describe this effect: one is in meters per second, which is velocity, not acceleration; another implies no acceleration; and the last is an order of magnitude too small. So 9.8 m/s^2 is the correct description of gravitational acceleration near the surface.