A skydiver falls with constant velocity after opening her...

Name: Problem 13, Chapter 4: Essential College Physics
Uploaded: 2021-05-29T17:42:03-08:00
Duration: 3 min 7 s
Channel: Sanu Kumar
Description: A skydiver falls with constant velocity after opening her parachute. Is the force the parachute exerts on her greater than, less than, or equal in magnitude to her weight? Explain your reasoning.

A skydiver falls with constant velocity after opening her parachute. Is the force the parachute exerts on her greater than, less than, or equal in magnitude to her weight? Explain your reasoning.

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Key Concepts

Drag Force

Drag force is the resistance force exerted by a fluid (like air) against the motion of an object. In scenarios involving constant velocity, the drag force, which increases with speed and surface area, exactly counteracts the gravitational force, thus preventing further acceleration.

Equilibrium of Forces

Equilibrium in physics is the state in which all forces acting on an object are balanced, resulting in no net acceleration. When an object is in equilibrium, such as falling at a constant velocity, each force is countered by an opposing force of equal magnitude, ensuring that the overall force sums to zero.

Newton's Second Law of Motion

This law states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration. In situations where an object is moving with constant velocity, the acceleration is zero, meaning the sum of all forces acting on it must cancel each other out, leading to a state of force equilibrium.

Terminal Velocity

Terminal velocity is reached when the forces acting on a falling object, such as gravity and air resistance, balance each other out. At this point, the object no longer accelerates and moves at a constant speed, which indicates that the upward resistive force precisely equals the downward gravitational force.

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