Gravity
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.
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.
Initially, gravity is greater than air resistance, causing the skydiver to accelerate downwards. As the skydiver picks up speed, air resistance increases until it eventually balances out with gravity, leading to a constant speed called terminal velocity.
If a skier is in a jump, then a skier and skydiver is pretty much the same thing. In general though, a skydiver has only air resistance, the skier has air resistance and friction with the ski-snow, so the skydiver has an edge on speed.
A skydiver loses speed when he opens the parachute because the parachute creates drag by slowing down the movement of air. This drag force opposes the motion of the skydiver, causing a decrease in speed. Additionally, the larger surface area of the parachute increases the effect of air resistance on the skydiver's body.
A skydiver's speed doesn't continue to increase because of air resistance, also known as drag force. As the skydiver falls, the force of air resistance increases until it balances out with the force of gravity pulling them downwards. This causes the skydiver to reach a terminal velocity, the maximum speed they can achieve while falling, before the parachute opens.
When a skydiver opens their parachute, air resistance increases which slows down the skydiver. Terminal velocity is the maximum speed a falling object can reach when the force of gravity is balanced by the force of air resistance. Opening the parachute decreases the skydiver's speed, allowing them to land safely.
An example of air resistance force is when a skydiver jumps out of a plane and experiences the force of air pushing against their body as they fall through the atmosphere. This force increases with the speed of the skydiver and can impact their descent speed and trajectory.
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.
The speed of a skydiver after 5 seconds of free fall can be estimated using the formula for velocity under the influence of gravity, accounting for air resistance. In free fall, a skydiver accelerates at approximately 9.8 m/s², but due to air resistance, they reach a terminal velocity. After 5 seconds, the skydiver's speed would be around 40-50 m/s (approximately 90-110 mph), depending on their body position and weight.
An example of air resistance force is when a skydiver jumps out of a plane and experiences the force pushing against them as they fall through the air. This force acts in the opposite direction to the skydiver's motion and increases as their speed increases.
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.