Question

Newton's 2nd law says that when a larger force is applied to an object of mass m, the object will experience a larger acceleration. At the same time, you've learned that all objects experience the same acceleration in a free fall, even if their weights (the forces of gravity acting on them) are different. That sounds like a contradiction: on one hand, from the Newton's 2nd law, a larger force means larger acceleration, on the other hand when applied to motion under gravity - a larger weight (force) means the same acceleration for all objects. How do you reconcile these statements? Why isn't it a contradiction? Does gravity violate the Newton's second law or is there another explanation. Be as thorough and clear in your explanation as possible.

Answer 1