Air Pressure Effects the Speed of Falling Objects
Research
An object that is falling through the atmosphere is subjected to two external forces. The first force is the gravitational force, expressed as the weight of the object. The weight equation which is weight (W) = mass (M) x gravitational acceleration (A) which is 9.8 meters per square second on the surface of the earth. The gravitational acceleration decreases with the square of the distance from the center of the earth. If the object were falling in a vacuum, this would be the only force acting on the object. But in the atmosphere, the motion of a falling object is opposed by the air resistance or drag. The drag equation tells us that drag is equal to a coefficient times one half the air density (R) times the velocity (V) squared times a reference area on which the drag coefficient is based. The motion of a falling object can be described by Newton 's second law of motion, Force = mass x acceleration. Do a little algebra and solve for the acceleration of the object in terms of the net external force and the mass of the object (acceleration = Force / mass). The net external force is equal to the difference between the weight and the drag forces (Force = Weight - Drag). The acceleration of the object then becomes acceleration = (Weight - Drag) / mass. The drag force depends on the square of the velocity. So as the body accelerates, its velocity (and the drag) will increase. It will reach a point where the drag is exactly equal to the weight. When drag is equal to weight, there is no net external force on the object, and the acceleration will become equal to zero. The object will then fall at a constant velocity as described by Newton 's first law of motion. The constant velocity is called the terminal velocity. What is aerodynamics? The word comes from two Greek words aerios concerning the air, and dynamis, meaning powerful. Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the
An object that is falling through the atmosphere is subjected to two external forces. The first force is the gravitational force, expressed as the weight of the object. The weight equation which is weight (W) = mass (M) x gravitational acceleration (A) which is 9.8 meters per square second on the surface of the earth. The gravitational acceleration decreases with the square of the distance from the center of the earth. If the object were falling in a vacuum, this would be the only force acting on the object. But in the atmosphere, the motion of a falling object is opposed by the air resistance or drag. The drag equation tells us that drag is equal to a coefficient times one half the air density (R) times the velocity (V) squared times a reference area on which the drag coefficient is based. The motion of a falling object can be described by Newton 's second law of motion, Force = mass x acceleration. Do a little algebra and solve for the acceleration of the object in terms of the net external force and the mass of the object (acceleration = Force / mass). The net external force is equal to the difference between the weight and the drag forces (Force = Weight - Drag). The acceleration of the object then becomes acceleration = (Weight - Drag) / mass. The drag force depends on the square of the velocity. So as the body accelerates, its velocity (and the drag) will increase. It will reach a point where the drag is exactly equal to the weight. When drag is equal to weight, there is no net external force on the object, and the acceleration will become equal to zero. The object will then fall at a constant velocity as described by Newton 's first law of motion. The constant velocity is called the terminal velocity. What is aerodynamics? The word comes from two Greek words aerios concerning the air, and dynamis, meaning powerful. Aerodynamics is the study of forces and the resulting motion of objects through the
Bibliography: http://www.dynamicscience.com.au/tester/solutions/flight/parachute%20experiment.htm (10/13/04) http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/newtlaws/u2l3e.html (10/13/04) http://www.fortunecity.com/business/redstone/1574/id69.htm (10/13/04) http://carini.physics.indiana.edu/E105/drag-force.html (10/13/04) http://van.hep.uiuc.edu/van/qa/section/Underwater_and_in_the_Air/Air_Resistance/20020326210816.htm (10/13/04) http://www.batesville.k12.in.us/physics/PhyNet/Mechanics/Newton2/air_resistance.htm (10/13/04)