Terminal velocity Flashcards
1
Q
What is terminal velocity?
A
- The maximum speed reached by an object as it falls through a fluid
2
Q
How is terminal velocity reached?
A
- As an object falls in air, there are two forces acting on it: weight (downwards) and air resistance (upwards)
- As the object starts to fall, its air resistance is very low as the object is falling slowly
- As the velocity of the object increases, so does the air resistance until it is equal to the weight of the object
- At this point, the air resistance is equal and opposite to the weight of the object, meaning the resultant force is 0
- This means that no further acceleration happens and the object has reached its terminal velocity
3
Q
What is the air resitance on an object dependent on?
A
- The objects surface area and velocity