Objects falling through fluids

- A fluid is a liquid or a gas [i.e. anything that can flow]

 Object falling through fluids experience three forces acting on them i.e.

1. Weight (W) – acting downwards

2. Upthrust (U) – acting upwards
3. Drag force (D) – acting upwards [in opposite direction of movement]

ALSO SHOWN AS

 The downward speed of the object increases with a decreasing acceleration.

 Drag force increases as speed increases.

Air Resistance and Terminal Velocity

 Objects falling through air experience a drag force called Air Resistance.
 The size of the drag (Air Resistance) acting on an object depends on,
(i) the speed of object
- air resistance increases as the speed of an object increases
(ii) the shape of the object
- objects with streamlined shape experience less drag.
NB:
Objects falling through air experience two main forces:
(a) the weight of the object, and
(b) the air resistance (drag force)

- Upthrust force is small and insignificant hence is ignored.

- Weight force remains constant.
- Drag force increases significantly with speed.

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 Stages of fall an object goes through when falling through air until
Terminal Velocity is reached

(a) Object just released to fall

- the starting velocity, v = 0 m/s therefore there is no drag

- only weight, W, acts on the object therefore the Resultant force = Weight and is
maximum.
- acceleration is maximum

(b) Object falling with increasing speed

- as speed of object increases, drag force increases

- resultant force decreases hence decreasing acceleration

F = W– D

(c) Object falling at Terminal Velocity

- the faster the object moves, the bigger the drag force becomes until drag force
balances the weight force
- resultant force is now zero hence acceleration is also zero.

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 - the object now moves with a constant velocity – this is its TERMINAL VELOCITY.
Definition:

TERMINAL VELOCITY is a constant velocity (speed) reached by an

object when forces acting on it are balanced.

The Graph below represents the motion of the object in stages

(a), (b) and (c) above.

𝑣𝑇

𝑣 𝑇 = terminal velocity

Explaining the graph:

At A:
- only the weight of the object is acting so the object accelerates.
- acceleration in maximum.
At B:
- air resistance acting on object increases with increasing velocity. This decreases
the downward resultant force and so acceleration decreases.

At C - D:
- At C, air resistance becomes equal to the weight of object. The resultant force is
zero and so the acceleration is zero.
- Between C and D, the object falls with constant velocity called the TERMINAL
VELOCITY

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 Parachutes

Consider a sky diver who jumps to fall through air from an aircraft that is flying
very high above the ground.

The sky diver first accelerates to reach a high and constant speed (his first
terminal velocity) before opening his parachute that decelerates him to a lower
constant speed (his second terminal velocity) that is safe for landing.

parachute opens

F G

Explaining the motion of the Parachutist (and the shape of the graph)
in terms of forces involved:

- Initially (at A), only the weight of the sky diver is acting so the sky diver
accelerates.
- (at B) Speed is increasing and so air resistance increases. This decreases the
downward resultant force and so acceleration decreases.
- (at C) Air resistance becomes equal to the weight of sky diver. Now resultant force
is zero and so acceleration is zero. The sky diver now falls with a constant velocity
– his TERMINAL VELOCITY.
- At D, the skydiver opens his parachute to produces a large air resistance. Upward
resultant force is big and so the diver rapidly decelerates.
- At E, speed reduces and so air resistance reduces
- At F, air resistance again becomes equal to weight. A new and lower terminal
velocity is reaches

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