Is drag equal to weight?

Is drag equal to weight?

When drag is equal to weight, there is no net external force on the object and the vertical acceleration goes to zero. With no acceleration, the object falls at a constant velocity as described by Newton’s first law of motion.

Which reaches terminal velocity first?

Both elephant and feather weigh the same amount, yet the greater mass of the feather leads to a smaller acceleration. The elephant experiences less air resistance and than the feather and thus reaches a larger terminal velocity.

Do heavier or lighter objects reach terminal velocity faster?

heavy objects will have a higher terminal velocity than light objects. It takes a larger air resistance force to equal the weight of a heavier object. A larger air resistance force requires more speed.) Therefore, heavy objects will fall faster in air than light objects.

Can you survive hitting water at terminal velocity?

Highly unlikely. When you hit the water at that speed, it isn’t so much the physical contact with the water (which is bad enough), but rather the rapid deceleration of your skeleton relative to your brain and other internal organs.

Why does opening a parachute slow down a skydiver?

As the skydiver gains speed, their weight stays the same but the air resistance increases. There is still a resultant force acting downwards, but this gradually decreases. When the parachute opens, the air resistance increases. The skydiver slows down until a new, lower terminal velocity is reached.

Can a human survive falling at terminal velocity?

While even short drops can be lethal, people have survived horrendous falls. Once at terminal velocity, you can fall as far as you like and you won’t gather any more speed. Vulovic undoubtedly reached terminal velocity before hitting the ground, but it is hard to achieve when falling from a building.

How did Vesna Vulovic survive the fall?

Air safety investigators attributed Vulović’s survival to her being trapped by a food cart in the DC-9’s fuselage as it broke away from the rest of the aircraft and plummeted towards the ground. When the cabin depressurized, the passengers and other flight crew were blown out of the aircraft and fell to their deaths.

Is hitting water like hitting concrete?

Pressures caused by breaking the surface make water act more solid on shorter timescales, which is why they say hitting water at high speeds is like hitting concrete; on those short times, it is actually like concrete!

How do you land when you fall from high?

Simple rules for hitting the ground as softly as possible

1. Step 1: Stay bent. The moment you sense you’ve lost your balance, get ready to fall with bent elbows and knees.
2. Step 2: Protect your head. If you’re falling forward, be sure to turn your face to the side.
3. Step 3: Land on the meat.
4. Step 4: Keep falling.