What's the top speed on your car?

[jimberg]

Originally posted by elma22:
Jimberg, objects falling down can only decrease in velocity, not increase. As you said 10m per second drop is the maximum gravitational pull, which means that objects can only decelerate based on their aerodynamical shape.[/B]

The acceleration of gravity is 10m per second per second (not a typo or 10m/s^2). This means that for every second an object falls 10m per second will be added to its velocity. Without air, this would mean that the object is going faster and faster as it falls. With air, though, the force of air resistance will build which in turn reduces the acceleration of gravity until the point that acceleration is zero. The velocity that the object was able to obtain will be the terminal velocity. If you add mass to the object, force increases since we know that acceleration of gravity is a constant. Since the force of the falling object is greater, the amount of air resistance that builds must also be greater for the object to stop accelerating. This occurs at a higher velocity.



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351W 89 Mustang GT Convertible