Omni Calculator logo

Free Fall Distance Calculator

Created by Julia Żuławińska
Reviewed by Arturo Barrantes
Last updated: Jan 18, 2024


With the free fall distance calculator, you can quickly find what height someone dropped an object from based on the time it landed or the velocity it reached. If you need to know how to calculate the distance in free fall, you're in the right place. Read on to learn the free fall distance formula and some facts about free falling.

How to calculate distance in free fall?

To calculate an object's distance fallen by time, you need to use a formula that combines time t, gravitational force g, and initial velocity v_0:

h = v_0t + ½gt²

If an object begins a free fall from a certain height without an additional force or push, the initial velocity would be equal to zero, which would simplify the free fall distance formula:

h = ½gt²

🙋 Remember to use the SI units!

  • time - s\rm s
  • gravitational force - m/s2\rm m/s^2
  • initial velocity - m/s\rm m/s
  • height - m\rm m

In our free fall distance calculator, you don't have to care about units! It will convert them for you.

How to find distance of a falling object with velocity?

To calculate the distance fallen by reached velocity, you need to:

  1. Transform the velocity equation to be a function of time:

    v = v_0 + gt
    t = (v - v_0)/g

  2. Input the time equation into the free fall distance formula:

    h = v_0t + ½gt²
    h = v_0t + ½g((v - v_0)/g)²

  3. Simplify the equation:

    h = v_0t + ½(v - v_0)²/g

  4. To calculate the distance with velocity - simply use the equation! You can also use our free fall distance calculator.

Example of the free fall distance an object covers in 10 seconds

  1. Recognize the data of the problem. We have v0=0 m/sv_0 = 0\ \rm m/s and t=0 st=0\ \rm s.

  2. Pick the formula we described in point one of the previous section. Obtain free fall velocity: 98.07 m/s98.07\ \rm m/s.

  3. Calculate free fall distance with the formula we shared in point three of the previous section. We get a distance of 490.33 m490.33\ \rm m.

If you liked the free fall distance calculator, check out our other related tools:

FAQ

How far do you fall in 3 seconds?

In 3 seconds, you would fall 144.78 feet or 44.13 meters. You can calculate it by using Omnicalculator's tool Free fall distance calculator or follow the next steps:

  1. Assuming you have the initial speed of 0, use the formula:

    h = ½ × g × t²

  2. We have 0.5 × 9.80665 × 3², which results in a free fall distance of: 44.13 meters.

How far the object has to free fall for reaching 100 meters per second of speed?

509.86 m. You can calculate it by using Omnicalculator's tool Free fall distance calculator or follow the next steps:

  1. Calculate the formula:

    h = ½(v)²/g

    Note we are considering initial speed as 0 m/s.

  2. Resolving the equation for a speed of 100 m/s, we obtain 509.86 meters as the distance to cover.

Julia Żuławińska
Gravitational acceleration (g)
ft/s²
Initial velocity (v₀)
ft/s
Input time or velocity:
Time of fall (t)
sec
Velocity (v)
ft/s
Result
Height (h)
ft
Check out 26 similar kinematics calculators — how things move ⏱️
Arrow speedBallistic coefficientCar jump distance… 23 more
People also viewed…

Coffee kick

A long night of studying? Or maybe you're on a deadline? The coffee kick calculator will tell you when and how much caffeine you need to stay alert after not sleeping enough 😀☕ Check out the graph below!

Length contraction

Discover how length is relative to the point of view with our calculator, exploring the relativity of length in physics accurately and easily.

Stopping distance

Stopping distance calculator finds the distance your car travels before it comes to a stop.

Test grade

With this test grade calculator, you'll quickly determine the test percentage score and grade.
Copyright by Omni Calculator sp. z o.o.
Privacy, Cookies & Terms of Service