Solution:

Given Data:

*The density of the steel is:  steel  8000 kg/m

3

3
*The radius of the ball is: rball  2.18 10 m

*The density of the air is:  air  1.29 kg/m

3

*The drag coefficient is: CD  0.5

(a)

The weight of the spherical ball can be calculated as:

Wball  mball  g
   steel  Vball   g
 4 3 
   steel     rball  g
 3 
4
 
3
 8000 kg/m 3     2.18 103 m  9.81 m/s 2
3

 3.4057 103 N 
The terminal speed of the ball falling through the air can be calculated as:

2Wball
vter 
CD   air    rball
2

vter 

2  3.4057  103 N 
 
2
0.5  1.29 kg/m3    2.18 10 3 m

vter  26.6 m/s

(b)

Neglecting the drag, the acceleration of the ball is:

Wball
a
mball
mball  g

mball
 9.81 m/s 2

Neglecting the drag, the time which the ball takes to reach the terminal speed is
calculated as:
vter
t
a
26.6 m/s
t
9.81 m/s 2
t  2.71 s

(c)

The distance travelled by the by the ball neglecting the drag to reach the
terminal speed can be calculated as:
1
S   a t2
2
1
S   9.81 m/s 2   2.71 s 
2

2
S  36 m

Thus, the correct option is (a).