Corrected entry: The Whale and the bowl of petunias should have hit the ground at almost exactly the same time, not at separate times, as gravity is a constant on any given planet. If anything, the bowl should have hit first, due to it having less air resistance.
James Ollier
10th May 2005
Correction: Gravity is a force of attraction between two objects and is dependent on the mass of these objects. The acceleration of an object due to the gravitational force of a planet is constant, but two unequal masses would only descend at the same rate if a vacuum existed. When the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity, the object ceases to accelerate and continues to fall at a constant speed (terminal velocity). A higher mass = larger gravitational force = faster terminal velocity. The whale would be falling quite a bit faster.