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?

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