A ball is dropped from the top of a tower. Due to air resistance,it reaches terminal velocity. Which of the following statement(s) about its motion is/are c...

Assessment: WAEC SSCE - Physics - 2016 (Objective) Subject: Physics

Question 1 Report

A ball is dropped from the top of a tower. Due to air resistance,it reaches terminal velocity. Which of the following statement(s) about its motion is/are correct? i. The acceleration of the ball is zero. ii. The net force on the ball is zero. iii. The velocity of the ball increases.

Answer Details
When the ball is initially dropped from the top of the tower, it accelerates due to the force of gravity. However, as it falls, it encounters air resistance. Air resistance is a force that opposes the motion of an object through the air. Eventually, the force of air resistance becomes equal in magnitude to the force of gravity, and the ball stops accelerating. This is known as terminal velocity. At terminal velocity, the acceleration of the ball is zero. This is because the net force on the ball is zero. The force of gravity is balanced by the force of air resistance. Thus, statement (i) and (ii) are correct. However, statement (iii) is incorrect. At terminal velocity, the velocity of the ball does not increase. It remains constant. This is because the net force acting on the ball is zero, and Newton's second law of motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it. If the net force is zero, the acceleration is zero, and the velocity remains constant. Therefore, the correct option is (i and ii only).

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