Question

What is the net force acting on a falling object when it reaches terminal velocity? a force equal to gravity 9.8 m/s2 two times the initial net force zero

Answer 1

Answer:

The net force is zero

Explanation:

When an object is falling, there are two forces acting on it:

- The force of gravity, which is equal to the weight of the object, which pushes the object downwards

- The air resistance, which acts against the motion of the object, so it pulls upward

While the magnitude of the force of gravity is constant, the magnitude of the air resistance increases as the velocity of the falling object increases: at some point of the motion, the air resistance becomes equal in magnitude to the force of gravity. At this point, the net force on the object becomes zero, and according to Newton's second law, the acceleration of the object becomes also zero:

$F=ma$

But zero acceleration means that the velocity of the object is now constant: this is known as terminal velocity.