Question

A skydiver has reached terminal velocity—she now falls at a constant speed, so her acceleration is zero. Is there a net force on her? If so, what is the direction?

Answer 1

Answer:

No, the net force on the skydiver is zero

Explanation:

According to Newton's Second Law, the net force on an object is equal to the product between the mass of the object and its acceleration:

$F=ma$

where

F is the net force

m is the mass of the object

a is the acceleration

In this problem, the acceleration of the skydiver is zero:

a = 0

This implies that also the net force on the skydiver is zero, according to the previous equation:

F = 0

So, the net force on the skydiver is zero. This occurs because the air resistance, which points upward, exactly balances the force of gravity on the skydiver, acting downwards.