Free Fall Calculator
Find velocity and distance of a falling object.
Results update as you type.
How it works
Free fall is the motion of an object under gravity alone, with air resistance ignored, and this calculator finds how fast it is moving and how far it has fallen after a given time. You enter the fall time, optionally an initial velocity and a custom gravity, and it returns the final velocity and the distance fallen. On Earth, gravity accelerates a falling object at about 9.81 metres per second squared, meaning its speed increases by that amount every second regardless of its mass, a fact famously demonstrated by dropping objects that land together in a vacuum. The velocity grows linearly with time while the distance grows with the square of time, which is why a falling object covers far more ground in its later seconds than its first. These equations of motion are foundational in physics and are used to analyse dropped objects, projectile launches, and the timing of falls. Changing the gravity value lets you model free fall on the Moon, Mars, or any other body, and adding an initial velocity handles objects thrown downward or, with a negative value, upward. Real falls are affected by air resistance, which eventually produces a terminal velocity, but for short drops the idealised free-fall equations are highly accurate. Enter the time to see the results.
v = v₀ + g·t; d = v₀·t + ½·g·t²
Under constant gravitational acceleration, an object's velocity grows linearly with time, so the final velocity is the initial velocity plus gravity times the elapsed time. The distance fallen combines the distance from any initial motion, initial velocity times time, with the distance from acceleration, half of gravity times time squared. These are the standard equations of motion for constant acceleration, applied to falling under gravity while ignoring air resistance.
Source:Kinematics (equations of motion)
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter fall time (t).
- 2
Adjust the options
Adjust initial velocity (optional) and gravity (optional) if they apply — sensible defaults are already set.
- 3
Read your result
Final velocity updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
What is free fall?
Free fall is the motion of an object subject only to the force of gravity, with air resistance neglected. In free fall, every object accelerates at the same rate regardless of its mass, which on Earth is about 9.81 metres per second squared. A skydiver before opening a parachute, a dropped ball, and a thrown object all move under the equations of free fall.
How fast does an object fall after a given time?
Its velocity equals any initial downward velocity plus gravity multiplied by the time elapsed. Starting from rest on Earth, an object reaches about 9.81 metres per second after one second, roughly 19.6 after two seconds, and so on, gaining the same speed each second. The calculator adds any initial velocity you supply to this gravitational contribution.
How far does it fall?
The distance fallen from rest equals half of gravity multiplied by the square of the time, so it grows with the square of time rather than linearly. After one second an object falls about 4.9 metres, but after two seconds it has fallen about 19.6 metres, four times as far. Any initial velocity adds its own contribution of velocity times time.
Does mass affect the rate of fall?
In free fall without air resistance, no. All objects accelerate at the same rate under gravity regardless of mass, as Galileo argued and astronauts demonstrated on the Moon by dropping a hammer and a feather together. In real air, lighter or less streamlined objects experience more relative drag and fall more slowly, but that is due to air resistance, not gravity.
Can I use this for other planets?
Yes. Change the gravity value to match another body: about 1.62 metres per second squared for the Moon, 3.72 for Mars, or 24.8 for Jupiter. The equations of free fall are the same everywhere; only the acceleration differs. This lets you compare how much more slowly objects fall on low-gravity worlds or how quickly they plunge on high-gravity ones.