How does a falling object demonstrate Newton’s second law?

Newton’s second law of motion states that the force acting on an object is equal to the product of its mass and its acceleration, expressed by the equation $F=ma$.1

A falling object demonstrates this law because the constant downward acceleration it experiences—known as gravity—is evidence of a steady force acting upon it. When an object is in free fall, the force of gravity exerted by the Earth on the object's mass ($m$) results in a constant acceleration ($g$), which is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared near the Earth's surface.123

Because the object accelerates at a constant rate, we can deduce the gravitational force acting on it using the second law: $F=mg$. This relationship confirms that the force of gravity is proportional to the object's mass, which explains why all objects, regardless of their mass, fall with the same constant acceleration in the absence of air resistance.24