The motion of a freely falling body near the surface of the Earth, when air resistance is neglected, is an example of ________________________ motion.

Introduction / Context:
Free fall is one of the most important idealised motions studied in basic physics. When an object is dropped from a certain height and air resistance is neglected, it accelerates towards the Earth due to gravity. Understanding the nature of this acceleration and how velocity changes with time forms the basis for many kinematics problems. This question checks whether you recognise that free fall is a case of uniformly accelerated motion.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The object is falling freely under gravity near the Earth surface.
• Air resistance and other forces apart from gravity are neglected.
• Acceleration due to gravity, g, is taken as approximately constant near the surface (about 9.8 m/s^2).
• The motion is along a straight vertical line.

Concept / Approach:
Uniformly accelerated motion means that the acceleration remains constant in magnitude and direction throughout the motion. In such motion, velocity changes by equal amounts in equal intervals of time. For a freely falling body near the Earth, the only significant force acting is gravity, which provides a constant downward acceleration g. Because g is effectively constant over the small height range of most school level problems, the body experiences uniform acceleration. Therefore, the motion of a freely falling body without air resistance is a classic example of uniformly accelerated motion.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that free fall is defined as motion under the influence of gravity alone.Step 2: Note that the acceleration due to gravity g near the Earth surface is taken as constant, about 9.8 m/s^2 downward.Step 3: Recognise that when acceleration is constant, the motion is called uniformly accelerated motion.Step 4: Understand that in uniformly accelerated motion, velocity increases or decreases by equal amounts in equal time intervals.Step 5: Apply this to the falling body: at each second, its speed increases by approximately 9.8 m/s as it falls.Step 6: Conclude that the motion of a freely falling body is uniformly accelerated, not constant velocity or non uniform acceleration.

Verification / Alternative check:
The standard kinematic equations for motion with constant acceleration, such as v = u + a * t and s = u * t + 0.5 * a * t^2, are derived under the assumption of uniform acceleration. These equations are routinely used to solve free fall problems, for example when calculating the time taken to reach the ground or the final velocity just before impact. The success of these equations in predicting experimental results for small height ranges supports the idea that free fall is uniformly accelerated motion when air resistance is negligible.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
The option non uniformly accelerated would apply if the acceleration changed with time, as happens when air resistance becomes significant at high speed, but that case is not considered here. Constant velocity means zero acceleration, which would occur if the object were moving at a uniform speed in a straight line, not falling under gravity. Constant speed is also incorrect because the speed of a freely falling body increases with time under gravity.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse the term uniform motion with uniformly accelerated motion. Uniform motion means constant velocity and zero acceleration, which does not describe free fall. Others may think acceleration changes as the object moves, especially if they imagine large distances, but near the Earth surface and for moderate heights, the variation in g is extremely small and can be ignored. To avoid these misunderstandings, remember that free fall in introductory physics is treated as motion with constant acceleration g, and is therefore uniformly accelerated.

Final Answer:
The motion of a freely falling body near the Earth surface is an example of uniformly accelerated motion.