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When an object is falling, the two main forces acting on it are weight and air resistance.

When an object falls it can reach terminal velocity.

This is the maximum velocity it can reach when all the forces are balanced.

A force is a push or a pull that acts on an object.

There are two types of forces:

• a contact force - objects touch each other and exert a force

or

• non-contact force - objects do not have to touch each other to exert a force.

Force is measured in newtons (N).

When two or more forces act on an object a resultant force can be calculated.

The size and direction of the resultant force enables us to describe how the motion of the object changes. For example, it might speed up, slow down or change direction.

When an object is falling, the two main forces acting on it are weight and air resistance.

The weight of the object remains constant throughout the fall. The weight of the object is the force due to the mass being acted on by Earth's gravity.

The air resistance is a frictional force which acts against the movement of the object. However, if an object is falling in a vacuum there is no air resistance.

As an object falls it accelerates to begin with. The faster the object is travelling the greater the air resistance acting against it.

Terminal velocity is the maximum speed achieved by an object freely falling through a gas or liquid.

At terminal velocity, the forces acting on the object are balanced so it is no longer accelerating.

For example, when a skydiver jumps from an aeroplane, they speed up because to begin with the resultant force is less than their weight. As they speed up, the air resistance increases until the two forces are balanced, so they eventually reach a maximum speed and don’t go any faster. This is their terminal velocity.

The two main factors which affect the terminal velocity of an object falling through a fluid are the mass and the shape of the object. The larger the mass of the object, the greater the weight.

Objects with large surface areas will often experience a large amount of air resistance when they move. We describe these objects as being less aerodynamic.

Smaller surface area = less air resistance.

For example, when a person falls, their surface area is relatively small which produces only a small amount of air resistance. The person is able to reach a high terminal velocity.

Large surface area = more air resistance.

For example, when a parachutist opens their parachute, the surface area increases. This produces a large amount of air resistance. The parachutist is able to reach a low terminal velocity.

These diagrams show what happens as a parachutist jumps out of a plane, freefalls, and then opens her parachute.

1. The skydiver jumps out of the plane and accelerates.

2. The skydiver continues to accelerate. As she speeds up the air resistance increases.

3. The skydiver has reached terminal velocity - weight and air resistance are balanced.

4. The skydiver pulls her parachute. This drastically increases her surface area which increases the air resistance and slows her down.

5. The skydiver is decelerating. As she slows down the air resistance decreases.

6. The skydiver has reached a new lower terminal velocity. The terminal velocity here is much slower than the terminal velocity of the skydiver before she opened her parachute.