Terminal speed

Question 1

What does the drag force depend on?

Answer 1

speed of the object

shape of the object

viscosity of fluid - measure of how easily the fluid flows past a surface

Question 2

How does acceleration decrease an object falls?

Answer 2

drag increases

resultant force decreases

Question 3

What is terminal speed?

Answer 3

when the drag force on it is equal and opposite to its weight

its acceleration is then 0 and speed remain constant

Question 4

How can terminal speed be investigated?

Answer 4

thread attached to falling object pulls a tape through a tickertimer, which prints dots at a constant rate on the tape

Question 5

What does the spacing of the dots a measure of?

Answer 5

speed, as dots are printed at a constant rate

Question 6

What happens in terms of energy at terminal speed?

Answer 6

potential energy is transferred into internal energy of the fluid by the drag force