Why is a freely falling body weightless?

 Is a freely falling body weightless? And, if yes, then Why? 

To get the answer to this question, we first have to understand, "What causes weight?". 

If I ask you a question that might seem very simple that, "What causes weight?"  then most of you might have got the answer, and without a  shadow of a doubt, that'll be gravity.

But this answer has got some consequences. 

Now if gravity is the real culprit behind weight, then a freely falling body should have weight, as a freely falling body does experience the force of gravity, but we know that it is weightless, and that is where physics gets interesting, as we have to counter our own argument. 

So, the answer is the force that causes weight is the force that opposes gravity. And that force is the one which we heartily call "The Normal force." 

To understand Normal force, let's consider a book that is resting on a table. Now, if you might have noticed, the book is in a state of rest, which means that the net force on the book is equal to 0. We know the force of gravitation is acting on the book, so this force of gravitation must be balanced by a force whose direction is opposite(upwards) to the direction of gravity(downwards). 

This task is responsibly performed by the normal force. 

And Normal force is the force(as we have discussed earlier) that causes weight. 

And since in a freely falling body, gravity is the only force acting on the body free from any opposition, it is WEIGHTLESS.

THANKS FOR READING!

-Arvin Gupta