What is the force on a 1-kg ball that is falling freely due to the pull of gravity

Two steel balls, each of mass m, are welded to a light rod of length l and negligible mass and are initially at rest on a smooth horizontal surface. a horizontal force of magnitude f is suddenly applied to the rod as shown. determine (a) the instantaneous acceleration a of the mass center g and (b) the corresponding rate at which the angular velocity of the assembly about g is changing with time.