# Free Fall Distance Calculator

Created by Julia Żuławińska
Reviewed by Arturo Barrantes
Last updated: Aug 29, 2022

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:

$h = v_0 \times t + \frac{1}{2} \times g \times t^2$

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:

$h = \frac{1}{2} \times g \times t^2$

🙋 Remember to use the SI units!

• time - $s$
• gravitational force - $\frac{m}{s^2}$
• initial velocity - $\frac{m}{s}$
• height - $m$

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:
$v = v_0 + g \times t$

$t = \frac{v - v_0}{g}$

2. Input the time equation into the free fall distance formula:
$h = \frac{1}{2} \times g \times t^2$

$h = v_0 \times t + \frac{1}{2} \times g \times t^2$

3. Simplify the equation

$h = v_0 \times t + \frac{1}{2} \times \frac{(v - v_0)^2}{g}$

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 $v_0 = 0 \frac{m}{s}$ and $t=0s$.

2. Pick the formula we described in point one of the previous section. Obtain free fall velocity: $98.07 \frac{m}{s}$.

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

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 100m/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
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