Answer to Question #167785 in Physics for Tithi

Question

What is meant by the acceleration due to gravity? Distinguish between the gravity and gravitation. Also distinguish between gravitational mass and inertial mass.  

Answer 1

The acceleration due to gravity is the acceleration of a body in free fall under the influence of earth's gravity expressed as the rate of increase of velocity per unit of time and assigned the standard value of 9.8 meters per second per second.

Even though both the terms sound alike but there is a difference between gravitation and gravity, gravitation is the force occurring between two bodies whereas gravity is the force occurring between the earth and a body.

Gravitational mass is the charge to which gravity couples. Inertial mass is a measure of how fast an object accelerates--given the same force, increasing the inertial mass implies decreasing acceleration.