Yes, the speed of a ball thrown from the top of the Earth does increase as it falls further. This is due to the influence of gravity, which accelerates the ball as it moves downward.
When an object falls freely under the influence of gravity, it experiences an acceleration known as the acceleration due to gravity. Near the surface of the Earth, this acceleration is approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (m/s²).
As the ball falls, its speed increases because gravity is constantly pulling it downward, causing it to accelerate. This increase in speed is uniform as long as we neglect other factors such as air resistance. In other words, the speed of the ball increases by 9.8 m/s for each second of free fall.
It's worth noting that once the ball reaches terminal velocity, the speed will no longer increase. Terminal velocity is the maximum speed an object can reach when falling through a medium, such as air, where the upward force of air resistance balances out the downward force of gravity. The exact terminal velocity depends on the size, shape, and mass of the object.
If we ignore air resistance and assume an idealized scenario, the speed of the ball will continue to increase as it falls further from the top of the Earth until it reaches the ground or another surface.