What happens to the object before it reaches a terminal speed?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Diving into the physics of terminal speed, we start by considering forces acting on the object as it falls through air. When it has not yet reached terminal speed, the upward drag force is smaller than the downward weight force, so the net force is still downward and the speed is increasing.
Option a: It is moving at a constant speed. This would imply that forces are balanced (drag equals weight) and the object has already reached terminal speed or there is no net force. Since the question asks about the state before terminal speed, this is not correct.
Option b: It is moving slower. A slower speed would occur only if the net downward force were reduced or balanced by drag, which is not the case while the object is still accelerating toward terminal speed.
Option c: It stops moving. Stopping would require the net force to be zero and velocity to drop to zero, which contradicts the scenario of approaching terminal speed during fall.
Option d: It is moving faster. As speed increases during the approach to terminal velocity, drag rises but remains less than weight, allowing continued acceleration. This accurately describes the situation just before terminal speed is reached, when the object is indeed moving faster than its initial speed but not yet at terminal velocity.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 2

What happens to the object before it reaches a terminal speed?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Which of the following factors determine the terminal settling velocity of a given airborne material?

What happens to the object after it reaches a terminal speed?

What is terminal speed?

A 63.9 kg skydiver falls through the air and eventually reaches terminal velocity. The force of air resistance acting on the skydiver at terminal velocity is:

When a parachutist jumps from an airplane, he eventually reaches a constant “terminal” velocity. Once that speed has been reached, which statement is true? Take g = 10 m/s2.

What is the terminal velocity (msec-1) of a sand size particle (2 mm in diameter) with a density of 2600 kg m-3. Assume water has a density of 1000.0 kg m-3 and a viscosity of 10-3 Pa s? Use 2 significant figures in your answer.

The following graph displays the velocity vs time graph for a parachutist jumping out of an aeroplane at t = 0. At what time(s) does the parachutist reach terminal velocity?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler