Circular and Satellite Motion - Mission CG7 Detailed Help

The acceleration of gravity (g) refers to the ____. List all that apply ... .


 
Definition of the Acceleration of Gravity:
The acceleration of gravity is the acceleration value experienced by an object upon which the only force is gravity. It is the acceleration caused by gravity alone.


 
It is not uncommon for students to become terribly confused about the meaning of the symbol g. The symbol g stands for the acceleration of gravity - a quantity whose value on Earth's surface is 9.8 m/s/s. Students often shorten the phrase acceleration of gravity to simply gravity and then think that g stands for gravity. But don't be fooled! The symbol g represents the acceleration of gravity and should never be confused with another quantity known as the force of gravity. The force of gravity is just that - a force. It is not an acceleration and its value could never be 9.8 m/s/s since the unit m/s/s is not a unit of force.