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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.

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Q: How does terminal velocity affect acceleration?
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Related questions

An object is falling at its what if it falls at a constant velocity?

rate of acceleration


What is the acceleration of an object that reache terminal velocity?

Zero, by definition. "Terminal velocity" implies that the velocity no longer changes.


What is the acceleration of an object at terminal velocity?

zero


How is acceleration due to gravity be zero in a parachute?

At terminal velocity (constant velocity), the acceleration is zero, but prior to that, there is a downward acceleration.


How does air ir resistance affect the accerleration of a falling object?

It slows the acceleration - possibly down to zero @ "terminal velocity".


Use terminal velocity in a sentence?

termial velocity has speed direction an acceleration


Are the direction of the velocity and acceleration of a falling body the same?

For the most part, yes; once at terminal velocity, there is no acceleration, so it has direction.


When the speed an object reaches the force of gravity is balanced by the force of air resistance called inertia?

This is called Terminal Velocity. Gravity pulling downwards matches the air resistance pushing upwards to cancel the acceleration out. Many people misunderstand this and believe that this means that the object falling is no longer moving, but it is speaking in terms of acceleration, not speed. So the acceleration from before terminal velocity was reached will still be in affect, but the object will be neither gaining or losing speed.


What is the acceleration of falling object that has reached its terminal velocity?

Zero, by definition.


How does air resistance affect terminal velocity?

Without air resistance, there would be no such thing as terminal velocity.


Does vibration affect terminal velocity?

yes


What is the terminal velocity of a falling object on earth?

An object that has reached its terminal velocity is going at a constant velocity. Acceleration is the rate of change of the velocity. The rate of change is zero. Therefore, the acceleration is zero.