Thread: I have a test tom. and i cant find 2 answers to the Practice test!?

Can air resistance ever be higher than the weight of the skydiver? Give an example of what happens when it occurs. thanx!

A parachutist jumps out of a plane, she goes faster and faster and faster when suddenly in midair her air resistance bulids up to equal her weight. There is no net force on her. How does she reach the ground?

If the air resistance is equal to her weight she will reach a terminal velocity (stop accelerating), but she will not stop falling. She will keep falling at a constant rate when there is no net force on her. Remember, an object in motion will stay in motion unless an unbalanced force stops it.

Well, I hated physics, but here's my best shot.

1. I don't think air resistance can be higher than the weight of the skydiver. If that was so, it seems like the skydiver would be going upward.

2. No net force means no acceleration, not no velocity. If she's traveling at a constant velocity (terminal velocity, actually) then there is no net force acting on her. So therefore she reaches the ground by traveling at a constant speed.

I'm more confident about the second answer than the first. You might want to find another answer for the first question, but that's my best guess.