A .5kg ball hangs on a string attached to the ceiling. If the string is cut what forces act on the ball as it falls? Ignoring air resistance.

Weight is one of the forces acting on the ball.
Is there another force acting on the ball? I know there isn't tension, friction. Is there a normal force acting on it in the downward direction?

gravity (responsible for the weight).

When the string is cut, the only force that acts on the ball as it falls is its weight. The weight of an object, W, is given by the formula W = m * g, where m is the mass of the object (0.5 kg in this case) and g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth).

The weight is always directed vertically downwards and represents the force exerted by the Earth's gravity on the object. In this case, the weight force acts on the ball, causing it to accelerate downward.

There is no tension force because the string has been cut, eliminating any tension in the string. Friction is also not applicable here since the ball is not in contact with any surface.

As for the normal force, it is the force exerted by a surface to support the weight of an object resting on it. Since the ball is now free-falling and not in contact with any surface, there is no normal force acting on it in the downward direction.

Therefore, the only force acting on the ball as it falls is its weight.