In terms of falling dynamics, what do a projectile and an object being dropped vertically have in common?

Both a projectile and an object being dropped vertically fall under the influence of gravity, which causes them to accelerate downwards at the same rate. This acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.81 m/s² near the Earth's surface, regardless of the initial conditions of the two objects.

For a dropped object, its only movement is downward, while a projectile may have an initial horizontal velocity as well as vertical motion. However, once both are in free fall, their vertical motion is governed by the same gravitational acceleration. Therefore, they fall at the same pace in terms of their vertical speed increasing uniformly over time due to gravity alone.

The key lies in understanding that while their motion might appear different due to horizontal components in a projectile, both are fundamentally experiencing the same gravitational pull affecting their vertical movement.