Terminal Velocity 1

Terminal Velocity is the maximum velocity that an object in free-fall through a medium can achieve. The force of gravity pulling the object down is equal and opposite the drag forces slowing the object. Drag is a force proportional to an object’s cross-sectional area, the medium’s density, and the square of the velocity of the object relative to the medium. The denser the medium, the larger the cross-sectional area, and the faster the object is traveling, the larger the drag.

If an object is forced into a velocity that is greater than its terminal velocity, the drag will slow the object until it reaches its terminal velocity, at which the gravitational force negates the drag force.

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