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

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To answer what happens to an object after it reaches terminal speed, we need to recall the concept of terminal velocity. Terminal speed occurs when the drag force opposing the motion balances the driving force (such as gravity for a falling object). When these forces are equal and opposite, the net force becomes zero, so according to Newton's first and second laws, the object ceases to accelerate and continues moving at a constant speed.

Option a: It stops moving. This would imply the velocity becomes zero, which is not the case at terminal speed unless an external force fully halts the motion. Therefore this is incorrect.

Option b: It is moving slower. Terminal speed is the steady state where acceleration is zero; the speed is not decreasing toward zero. The object maintains the constant speed rather than slowing down further, so this is incorrect.

Option c: It is moving at a constant speed. This matches the definition of terminal velocity: a constant velocity achieved when drag force equals the driving force, resulting in zero net force and no further acceleration. This is correct.

Option d: It is moving faster. Terminal speed is not an increasing or decreasing phase; it is the final steady-state speed. If the object were moving faster, it would still experience net deceleration due to drag until reaching terminal velocity, so this is incorrect.

UCIC 202503 PHYS101 Quiz 2

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

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