Forces And Terminal Velocity P
Overview
Drop a stone off a cliff and it gets faster the whole way down. Drop a skydiver out of an aircraft and something stranger happens: after roughly half a minute she stops getting faster at all, and spends the rest of the fall at a steady 44 m/s with the ground still a long way below. Nothing has caught her and nothing has switched gravity off. The air itself has grown a force big enough to match her weight, and it did so by the simple trick of her going faster.
This lesson is about that force. You will learn why a fluid pushes back harder the quicker you move through it, why every falling object therefore has a speed limit of its own, and how to read the whole story off a velocity-time graph whose gradient dies away to nothing. Then you will use the idea in both directions: parachutes, which are built to make the speed limit as low as possible, and sharks and racing cars, which are shaped to push it as high as possible.
Objectives
- An object moving through a fluid experiences friction. The faster the object moves, the greater the frictional forces (drag) acting on it.
- An object falling through a fluid will initially accelerate due to the force of gravity and the drag forces increase as the velocity increases. Eventually the resultant force will be zero and the object will move at its terminal velocity.
- Parachutes are designed to increase the drag force on a parachutist so that the terminal velocity is reduced. Students should be able to draw and interpret velocity-time graphs for objects that reach terminal velocity, including a consideration of the forces acting on the object.
- Streamlining reduces the drag force on an object so that its maximum velocity is increased. Students should be able to describe how the streamlining of a shark (an adaptation) or a car (a design feature) reduces the drag force and the object.
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Lesson Note
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Forces And Terminal Velocity P. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- An object is falling through air at its terminal velocity. What is true about the forces on the object? A. There are no forces acting on it B. Its weight is greater than the drag C. The drag is equal in size to its weight D. The drag is greater than its weight Answer: C
- A submarine increases its speed through the water. What happens to the drag force acting on it? A. It increases B. It decreases C. It stays the same D. It falls to zero Answer: A
- A skydiver of mass 90 kg falls at her terminal velocity. The gravitational field strength is 9.8 N/kg. What is the size of the drag force acting on her? A. 0 N B. 9.2 N C. 90 N D. 882 N Answer: D
- A parachutist opens her parachute while falling at terminal velocity. What happens to her terminal velocity? A. It increases because the drag increases B. It decreases because the drag increases C. It decreases because her weight decreases D. It stays the same because her weight is unchanged Answer: B
- What is the effect of streamlining the body of a car? A. The drag increases and the maximum velocity increases B. The drag increases and the maximum velocity decreases C. The drag decreases and the maximum velocity increases D. The drag decreases and the maximum velocity decreases Answer: C
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