Question

Use Newton's laws to explain why a falling object dropped from a 57m tower accelerates initially but then reaches constant velocity. Discuss the forces acting on the object

Answer 1

Answer:

At the point of dropping the object, by Newton's first law due to gravitational force $F_g$ = m × g, accelerates

By Newton's Second law the object reaches impacts on the air with the gravitational force resulting in changing momentum of m×(Final Velocity - Initial Velocity)

As the velocity increases, the rate of change of momentum becomes equivalent to the gravitational force and by Newton's third law, the action action and reaction are equal and opposite hence they cancel each other out

The body then moves at a constant uniform motion down according to Newton's first law

Explanation:

At the point the object of mass, m, is dropped from the height of the tower, the only force acting on the object is the gravitational force such that the object has an acceleration which is the acceleration due to gravity, g, and the gravitational force is therefore = m × g

As the speed of the object increases while the object is falling with the gravitational acceleration the rate at which the object cuts through layers of air which (by Newton's first law of motion, are at rest ) has some buoyancy effect also increases therefore, the object is constantly increasingly changing the momentum of the air which by Newton's second law results, at an high enough velocity, and by Newton's third law, in a force equal to the applied gravitational force

Therefore, the force of the air drag becomes equal to the gravitational force, cancelling each other out and the object then moves according to Newton;s first law, in uniform motion of a constant speed while still falling down.