Objects near Earth's surface are rarely in free fall because air resistance acts on them, opposing the force of gravity. This drag force means that they cannot accelerate solely due to gravity, as is the case in true free fall. Understanding the impact of air on falling objects is crucial to grasping the concept of free fall in physics. ;
Objects near Earth's surface are rarely in free fall because air resistance acts against them, opposing the force of gravity. This drag force makes it so that they do not solely accelerate due to gravity. Therefore, the answer is B: Air exerts forces on falling objects near Earth's surface.
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