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When he first jumps, his weight is the only force acting on his body. As he accelerates, the air resistance force, which acts in the opposition direction to the weight, increases in magnitude. When these two forces equal, they cancel each other out, which means that the diver does not accelerate anymore. This speed is the terminal speed. It's all a matter of forces.

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Q: How does a skydiver reach terminal speed?
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Is it true that the steady speed reached by a skydiver is called the terminal velocity?

Yes. Not just a skydiver; anything that falls long enough will eventually reach "terminal velocity", which means that it will continue falling at a constant speed, because the force of gravity and the force of air resistance are in balance.


If a skydiver reaches terminal speed after ten seconds will the skydiver gain more speed during the first second or the ninth second?

I would imagine that it is uniform acceleration up until terminal speed. However, wind resistance will be higher 10000 feet up, so acceleration may be less at the start


How does terminal velocity affect acceleration?

The terminal velocity of an object moving through a fluid under the force of gravity (let's assume the fluid is air for sake of discussion) occurs at the speed where the drag force of the air on the object becomes equal to the weight of the object. At this point the object has stopped accelerating and is in uniform motion (constant speed).For example, a skydiver jumping out of a plane will accelerate towards the Earth. At first the skydiver is accelerating at 9.8 m/s2, the gravitational acceleration of the Earth. But as he accelerates to higher speed, drag force becomes greater and the rate of acceleration slows. Drag force is proportional to the square of the speed, by the way. Eventually the skydiver will reach a speed (around 120 mph depending on the orientation of the skydiver's body) where the drag force is equal to his weight. That will be his terminal velocity.


Why won't a skydiver's speed continue to increase until his or her parachute opens?

Once a skydiver jumps off the plane, they will begin picking up speed. However, as the speed of the skydiver increases, the amount of air resistance acting upon them will also increase. The skydiver will continue to accelerate while his or her weight is greater than the air resistance. When the force of the air resistance becomes equal to the weight of the skydiver, the skydiver will stop accelerating and will continue falling at a constant speed, this is known as the terminal velocity. While travelling at terminal velocity, the skydiver will be able to adjust his or her body position in a way that will increase or decrease the air resistance and allow the diver to alter their speed. Releasing his or her parachute will drastically increase the amount of air resistance and therefore slow their descent significantly.


Why several seconds after jumping from an aircraft a skydiver will be travelling at a constant speed?

Because you reach maximum velocity.


A skydiver steps from a helicopter and falls for 5 seconds before reaching her terminal velocity during this 5 second interval her acceleration?

the crate will reach terminal velocity last, but hit the ground frist.


What is the skydiver acceleration?

Upon leaving the aircraft, a skydiver rapidly reaches something called terminal velocity. This is where the resistance of the air matches the mass of the skydiver. At this speed, the skydiver maintains a relatively constant speed. Typically this is around 120mph in a flat body position and takes approximately 10 seconds to reach. For more questions about skydiving, see the attached link.


What is the difference between terminal speed and terminal velocity?

The difference between terminal speed and terminal velocity is really simple. Terminal speed can be used to refer to the maximum speed an object can reach before factors like friction prevent anymore speed to be gained. Terminal velocity, however, generally refers to the rate at which this speed was gained.


A skydiver steps from a helicopter and falls for 5 seconds before reaching her terminal velocity During this 5 second interval her acceleration will?

increase- your speed will increase until terminal velocity is reached. From there it will stay constant.


what force is increased after the skydiver open parachute?

To start with there is gravitational attraction. As soon as the skydiver starts falling, (s)he will experience the drag force due to air resistance. The gravitational force is essentially constant but the drag increases as the diver's velocity increases until it equals gravity. The diver is the falling at terminal velocity and will continue to do so until the parachute is operated.


What is the reason for rain drops to fall with a constant speed by the time they reach earth?

They reach their terminal velocity.


Why can a helicopter reach a terminal speed whilst falling during autorotation?

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