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what affect does mass, surface area, and air resistance have on the rate at which an object falls?

2007-06-13 14:33:38 · 10 answers · asked by greenlane 2 in Science & Mathematics Physics

10 answers

The greater the mass of the object, the less air resistance the object will experience in free fall.
The greater the surface area of the object, the greater the air resistance.

The greater the air resistance the object experiences, the slower the terminal velocity of the object.

None of these have any effect on the rate of fall though...only terminal velocities. The rate of fall is constant.

yea im definitely wrong..this person below is right.

2007-06-13 14:43:39 · answer #1 · answered by kennyk 4 · 0 1

If you ignore the effects of air resistance, all objects accelerate at the same rate. Air resistance is a very complicated force that opposes motion. It is determined by the mass of the object, the cross-sectional surface area of the object, and the velocity of the object. Downward acceleration decreases as velocity increases until you reach terminal velocity, the fastest rate of fall of that particular object. This occurs because an increase of velocity represents an increase in the force of air resistance.

Of course for basic physics courses, problems are chosen where air resistance is negligible and thus can be ignored to simplify the problems.

2007-06-13 14:44:01 · answer #2 · answered by msi_cord 7 · 0 0

None of those have an effect on the rate at which something falls. You could drop 2 different objects, w/ different masses and surfaces, at the same time and they would hit the ground at the same time because gravity pulls them down at the same rate.(9.8 m/s^2)

2007-06-17 07:08:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Nope, rate of fall is determined by gravity as well as air-resistance of the falling object.

The larger the surface area, the larger air resistance is and the slower your rate of fall will be. Thus, those with parachutes will fall slower than your psycho who does free-falling without one due to the large surface area provided by your parachute.

2007-06-13 14:38:51 · answer #4 · answered by amsga 2 · 0 0

mass has no effect on rate of fall but it alters the terminal velocity of the object in air by changing the point at which friction energy matches acceleration energy, surface area alters drag, air resistance creates drag.

2007-06-13 14:42:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

Gravity is constant, the only thing that affects rate of fall is air resistance, which usually isn't that much.

2007-06-13 14:38:42 · answer #6 · answered by Eolian 4 · 0 1

It does not. a: by adjusting the perspective of their bodies, and consequently the gap travelled by their centres of mass in each and every turn. Momentum = mass * speed. while you're spinning in a good circle, then your centre of mass travels fewer metres according to turn than while you're spinning in a extensive circle; yet momentum is conserved, and in the experience that your mass hasn't replaced, then neither will the style of metres you shuttle in a single 2nd. So the style of turns you're making according to 2nd ought to alter, to maintain the style of metres according to 2nd consistent. b: What? c: If it somewhat is to do with the skater element, no. there is no acceleration, as a result no stress.

2016-10-17 04:48:30 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

Yes, they do. Every object has a max rate of speed that it can achieve. But those things do have an affect

2007-06-13 14:37:58 · answer #8 · answered by Points Grubber 3 · 0 2

no.. a bowling ball and a marble will fall at the same rate

2007-06-13 15:42:02 · answer #9 · answered by jarrodandscarlet 2 · 0 0

No. the acceleration is constant.

2007-06-13 14:37:14 · answer #10 · answered by Gene 7 · 2 1

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