Terminal Velocity

• What is terminal velocity?

  Velocity remains constant with no acceleration
• What happens to an object when it reaches terminal velocity?

  It stops accelerating and maintains constant velocity
• What force acts on a person stepping out of an airplane?

  Weight
• How does weight affect a falling object?

  Weight pulls the object downwards towards Earth
• What is the resultant force when a person first steps out of the plane?

  It is equal to the weight
• What happens to the resultant force as a person falls?

  It decreases as air resistance increases
• What causes air resistance during a fall?

  Collisions with tiny air particles
• How does surface area affect air resistance?

  Larger surface area increases air resistance
• How does velocity affect air resistance?

  Higher velocity increases air resistance
• What happens to the rate of acceleration as a person falls faster?

  The rate of acceleration decreases
• What does a velocity-time graph show during a fall?

  It shows decreasing steepness as acceleration falls
• What occurs when air resistance equals weight?

  Resultant force becomes zero
• What is the effect of opening a parachute on air resistance?

  It increases air resistance significantly
• What happens to the resultant force after opening a parachute?

  It becomes upwards, causing deceleration
• How does the new terminal velocity with a parachute compare to the previous one?

  It is lower than the terminal velocity without parachute
• What are the key points about falling objects and terminal velocity?

  • Weight pulls objects downwards
  • Air resistance opposes weight
  • Resultant force determines acceleration
  • Terminal velocity occurs when forces balance
  • Opening a parachute increases air resistance
  • New terminal velocity is lower with parachute
• What is the relationship between weight and air resistance during free fall?

  Weight is greater than air resistance initially
• What happens to an object when there is no resultant force acting on it?

  It cannot accelerate
• What is the significance of the resultant force in determining motion?

  It dictates whether an object accelerates or not