What is acceleration due to gravity?

Answer: The earth applies gravitational force on the objects near it. According to Newton’s second law of motion, a force applied to a body causes its acceleration. Hence, the gravitational force due to the earth on a body results in its acceleration. This is known as acceleration due to gravity denoted by ‘g’. Acceleration is a vector. As the gravitational force on any object due to the earth is directed towards the centre of the earth, the direction of the acceleration due to gravity is also directed towards the centre of the earth i.e. Vertically downwards.