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The main forces acting on a skydiver are gravity, which pulls the skydiver downward, and air resistance (drag), which acts in the opposite direction of motion. As the skydiver falls, air resistance increases until it balances out the force of gravity, leading to a constant velocity known as terminal velocity.
When a skydiver jumps out of a hovering helicopter with forward velocity, the skydiver's initial velocity will be a combination of the helicopter's forward velocity and the vertical velocity due to gravity. As the skydiver falls, their acceleration is primarily due to gravity acting downward, with air resistance also playing a role. The acceleration experienced by the skydiver will be constant at approximately 9.8 m/s^2 downward, ignoring air resistance.
When a skydiver reaches terminal speed, the air resistance is equal to the force of gravity acting on the skydiver. At this point, the acceleration of the skydiver is zero, as the forces are balanced. This means that the skydiver is falling at a constant speed due to the opposing forces being equal.
The overall net force acting on a skydiver is the force of gravity minus air resistance. Initially, as the skydiver falls, gravity is the dominant force causing acceleration. As the skydiver gains speed, air resistance increases, eventually balancing out the force of gravity to reach a terminal velocity where the net force is zero.
When a skydiver opens his parachute, air resistance (also known as drag force) increases. This is due to the parachute creating a larger surface area and creating more resistance against the air, which slows down the skydiver's fall. This increased air resistance counterbalances the force of gravity acting on the skydiver.
When a skydiver is accelerating downward, the forces are unbalanced. The force of gravity acting downward on the skydiver is greater than the air resistance force pushing upward, causing the skydiver to accelerate downward.
The acceleration of the skydiver can be calculated using Newton's second law: F = ma, where F is the force of gravity - air resistance, m is the mass of the skydiver, and a is the acceleration. The acceleration will depend on the exact value of air resistance acting on the skydiver.
When a skydiver reaches terminal velocity, the force of weight acting downwards on the skydiver is equal to the force of drag acting upwards. This means that there is no net force acting on the skydiver, resulting in a constant velocity rather than acceleration.
A skydiver's speed doesn't continue to increase indefinitely because of air resistance, which creates a "terminal velocity" where the force of air resistance balances the force of gravity. As the skydiver falls faster, air resistance increases until it matches the force of gravity, resulting in a constant speed.
If a moving object has zero net force acting on it, it will continue to move at a constant velocity in a straight line. This is described by Newton's first law of motion, also known as the law of inertia.
A skydiver's velocity after 2 seconds will depend on factors such as their initial velocity, weight, air resistance, and gravitational force acting on them. On average, a skydiver will reach a terminal velocity of around 120 mph (193 km/h) after about 10 seconds of freefall.
Under free fall, the only force acting upon an object is the force of gravity. But realistically, there is also the force of friction from the air (Air Resistance) that opposes the force of gravity.