At what rate does a free falling body accelerate due to gravity?

The correct answer is that a free falling body accelerates due to gravity at a rate of approximately 9.8 meters per second squared. This constant, denoted as "g," is specific to the acceleration caused by Earth's gravity. This acceleration means that for each second an object is in free fall, its velocity increases by approximately 9.8 meters per second.

In the context of the given choices, while 32 feet per second is a common approximation of gravity in feet (it is close to 30.48 feet per second squared when converted from meters), it does not accurately reflect the precise acceleration due to gravity. The rate of 10 meters per second and 20 feet per second are also inaccurately low estimations of gravitational acceleration.

Understanding the acceleration due to gravity is vital for various applications such as physics problems involving projectile motion and free fall, where it helps predict how long an object will take to hit the ground or how far it will fall in a certain time frame.