acceleration of gravity

American  

noun

Physics.

1. the acceleration of a falling body in the earth's gravitational field, inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the body to the center of the earth, and varying somewhat with latitude: approximately 32 feet (9.8 meters) per second per second. g

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acceleration of gravity Scientific  

1. The acceleration of a body falling freely under the influence of the Earth's gravitational pull at sea level. It is approximately equal to 9.806 m (32.16 ft) per second per second, though its measured value varies slightly with latitude and longitude.

2. Also called acceleration of free fall

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Etymology

Origin of acceleration of gravity

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

What is the acceleration of gravity at the surface of the neutron star?

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Projectile motion is the motion of an object thrown or projected into the air, subject to only the acceleration of gravity.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

GAL: “Get a life” and a galileo, a unit used measuring local variations in the acceleration of gravity: For some reason, whenever I start talking about the latter, I hear the former.

From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2015

In fact, if the acceleration is equal to the acceleration of gravity on the surface of the earth, the passengers may well believe that their ship is still standing on its launching pad.

From Scientific American • Mar. 4, 2011

The acceleration of gravity is the same; but the inertia of the heavier grain is greater.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 613, October 1, 1887 by Various