Which ball is predicted to reach the ground first among two identical balls dropped simultaneously?

Identical balls dropped simultaneously in a vacuum, or in conditions neglecting air resistance, will indeed reach the ground at the same time. This phenomenon occurs because the acceleration due to gravity acts equally on both objects, regardless of their mass or weight. According to the principles established by Galileo and later confirmed through experiments, gravitational acceleration near the Earth's surface is approximately 9.81 meters per second squared for all objects, leading to them experiencing the same rate of fall.

When considering real-world scenarios, air resistance could affect the fall of objects differently. However, since the question specifies that the balls are identical and dropped at the same time from the same height, those factors can be set aside. Thus, both balls will have identical characteristics resulting in equal time to reach the ground as long as external forces such as air drag are not considered significant.

The concept underlining this behavior is fundamental in physics and highlights the difference between mass and weight, reinforcing that gravity influences all objects equally when other forces are not in play.