When does an object reach terminal velocity?

Answer 1

When it's falling and reaches a velocity where the force from drag is equal to the force from gravity. Simply put, it doesn't speed up any more.

Answer 2

basicly, it is when the force acting on an object has an equal and oppersite force (or forces) acting on it, it can then go no faster because it can not over come these forces, or untill it finds a brick wall! I shall explain this with a jet

a jet is doing its maxium speed (or terminal velocity) why can't it go any faster, well because its drag, and other forces are equal to the force of the propultion provided by the engine so the engine so the only way that the jet could go any faster is to over come the opperiste forces by providing itself more forwards force or the jet being remodeled so it has less drag, when this is no longer possable and the opersite forces are equal to its forwards force it reaches its terminal velocity, because it can not over come the oppersite force, if we removed the opposing forces then it would not stop accelerating and would kill the pilot, run out of fuel and crash some where, its the same thing with flicking a marbel in space, if it encounters no force, (owing to no gravity and no atmosphere) it will just keep accelerating because it can not be equaled.

Answer 3

The first two are correct. It is the point where the drag from the air pressure stops any further gravitational acceleration.

Consider that a feather or a leaf will always fall slowly to the ground because their surface area is large and their mass is small. They hit terminal velocity almost immediately. In a vacuum, there is no terminal velocity. So, that same feather or leaf would fall as quickly as a lead ball and would continue to accelerate until they hit the ground.

Answer 4

Theoretically, never. The velocity under drag is an exponential function, which approaches terminal velocity as t -> ∞. The actual formula for velocity under drag is in the form

v(t) = Vt*tanh(t/tc), where Vt is the terminal velocity

tanh(x) = (e^2x - 1)/(e^2x + 1); this function reaches unity only at t=∞

For a falling body, tc = Vt/g; when t = tc, the body has reached 96% of terminal velocity.

Answer 5

depends on the object and the its drag. Terminal velocity is the max speed an object can reach. There is an equation somewhere, but I don't remember what it is.

Answer 6

I would think shortly before it smacks whatever it is the object will inevitably smack into.