How far does an object fall in 1 second?

Answer: distance fallen = 4.9 m (speed 9.81 m/s, speed 35.3 km/h).

What we know

  • Fall time: 1 s

From rest, no air resistance.

Step by step

Given
t = 1 s
Formula
d = ½·g·t²
Substitute
d = ½ × 9.80665 × 1²
Result
d = 4.9 m

All results

Distance fallen4.9 m
Speed9.81 m/s
Speed35.3 km/h

Open the free fall from time calculator with these numbers → and change any of them.

The physics

Dropped from rest, an object gains the same amount of speed every second, so its speed after t seconds is v = g·t. The distance adds up all the speed gained so far, so it grows with the square of the time: d = ½·g·t².