What is the force of air?
Air resistance is a force that affects objects that move through the air. It depends on the density of the air, the area of the object, the velocity it is moving, and a “drag coefficient” that accounts for other properties of the object like the surface roughness, and turbulence.
What objects are affected by air resistance?
With air resistance, acceleration throughout a fall gets less than gravity (g) because air resistance affects the movement of the falling object by slowing it down. How much it slows the object down depends on the surface area of the object and its speed.
How do you explain air resistance to a child?
To recap, air resistance is a force that acts in the opposite direction of a moving object and is a type of friction. Greater surface area on a moving object can increase air resistance. Air resistance works as an opposing force for both falling objects and those moving on the ground.
What is the difference between air and water resistance?
Friction occurs when objects move through water or air. Air resistance is a type of friction between air and another material. If you go swimming, there is friction between your skin and the water particles. This is known as water resistance.
What is the difference between gravity and air resistance?
As you saw and read on the previous screens, the force of gravity causes an object to accelerate toward the ground. However, the force of air resistance counteracts gravity and affects how fast an object falls.
What are the similarities and differences between gravity and air resistance?
When an object falls in air, it has to push through the air particles. This causes the object to fall slower. Objects are affected by gravity the same, but air resistance can affect the speed of an object’s descent. An object with more surface area will have more air resistance.
What is stronger gravity or air resistance?
Air resistance always opposes motion so if dropped from rest you will accelerate with increasing air resistance until it is equal and opposite to gravity and you fall at a terminal velocity. But the magnitude of the resistance force is always less than or equal to gravity in this case.