When falling at terminal speed, the air resistance is equal to the weight of the object
Explanation:
When an object is falling down, there are two forces acting on it:
- The force of gravity ([tex]F_g[/tex]), also known as weight of the object, which acts downward, and whose magnitude is constant and given by
[tex]F_g = mg[/tex]
where m is the mass of the object and g the acceleration of gravity
- The air resistance ([tex]F_r[/tex]), acting upward, and whose magnitude is proportional to the square of the speed (v) of the object:
[tex]F_r = kv^2[/tex]
where k is a constant.
At the beginning of its fall, the speed of the object is zero:
v = 0
Therefore, also the air resistance is zero:
[tex]F_r = 0[/tex]
This means that the object starts accelerating downward due to the unbalanced effect of the gravity, and its speed increases. As the speed increases, the magnitude of the air resistance increases too, up to a point where the two forces are equal in magnitude:
[tex]F_g = F_r[/tex]
when this occurs, the object no longer accelerates, and its speed becomes constant: the value of this speed is called terminal speed, and the object continues its fall at this speed.
Learn more about forces and weight:
brainly.com/question/8459017
brainly.com/question/11292757
brainly.com/question/12978926
#LearnwithBrainly
