Click Start to see a body fall under gravity. Notice how it accelerates and covers more and more distance with each snapshot.
The plot shows total energy in blue, kinetic energy in green, and potential energy in red.
Click Reset to try again. Change the gravitational acceleration with the slider and press Start to see it move.
A body falling from rest travels d = ½gt2 in t seconds where g is the acceleration of gravity.
The total energy remains constant while the body falls. Its kinetic energy ½mv2 increases as it falls while its potential decreases. The potential energy is mgh where h is height above the ground where the potential energy is zero.