11/03/2013
Air Drag and Terminal Velocity Notes
Falling Objects , Air Drag, and Terminal Velocity
In a vacuum The falling object has only the force of gravity acting on it.
So in a vacuum, all objects fall with the same acceleration. In air If the object falls through air, there will be the force of air drag (air resistance) opposing the motion. We will model the force of air drag as proportional to the effective cross-sectional area (A) of the object and the square of the speed of the object. It is also proportional to the density of the air (r) through which the object moves and a value (C) that depends on the texture and shape of the object. This drag coefficient (C) can be determined by experiments on the object (say in a wind tunnel). This constant may depend upon factors that we will assume are constant for the problems at hand (in reality it can depend on the speed of the object).
Terminal Speed As the object speeds up, the force of air drag increases resulting in the downward acceleration getting smaller. Eventually the object will reach a speed where the force of air drag matches the force of gravity. The net force on the object is now zero and thus the acceleration is zero so the object falls at constant speed. This speed is called the terminal velocity or terminal speed. In the problem set you will be asked to generate an equation for terminal velocity. Some Terminal Speeds in Air Object 16-lb shot Baseball Tennis ball Ping-pong ball Parachutist Terminal Speed (m/s) 95% Distance (m) 145 42 31 9 5 2500 430 210 115 10 3
Sky-diver (typical) 60
Notr: The 95% distance is the distance through which the body must fall from rest to reach 95% of its terminal speed. (Adapted from Peter J. Brancazio, Sport Science, Simon & Schuster, NY, 1984)
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11/03/2013
Air Drag and Terminal Velocity Notes
Recursion Relations Suppose we knew all the constants in our acceleration equation. We might end up with an equation such as a = 9.8 - (0.1)v2. How do we deal with this? The most simple-minded method is to say, "let's make a table." We assume the object starts at rest and we're going to use time steps of 0.5 seconds: at time = 0 : v = 0 m/s and a = 9.8 - 0 = 9.8 m/s2 Now we use the acceleration to find the velocity at t=0.5 s. We approximate the acceleration as constant for 0.5 seconds so we can use vf = vo + at so at 0.5 seconds, v = 0 + (9.8)(0.5) = 4.9 m/s. Now we use this velocity to find the acceleration: a = 9.8 - (0.5)(4.9)2 = 7.4 m/s2 So at time = 0.5 s : v = 4.9 m/s and a = 7.4 m/s2 For the next time step you would repeat the process. Clearly this method requires very small time steps for good accuracy. (We used an equation involving constant acceleration in a region where acceleration was not constant! In such a case smaller time units give better accuracy.) Equations that depend on previous steps are called recursion relations and can be done on some graphing calculators and on computer spreadsheets. The recursion relations for the problem we've been working can be written: vn = vn-1 + an-1 *(time interval) and an = 9.8 - 0.1vn 2 Or in other words: to find the current velocity, find the velocity at the last step and add to it the acceleration at the last step multiplied by the time interval between steps. To find the current acceleration, use the current velocity in the equation.
Air Drag Problems
In most cases, part of the task is to estimate the effective cross-sectional areas of the objects involved. You may approximate the density of air as 1.25 kg/m3. 1. Figure out the conversion factor from miles per hour to meters per second. (1 mi/hr = ____ m/s) 2. Figure out the conversion factor from grams per cubic centimeter to kilograms per cubic meter. (1 g/cm3 = ____ kg/m3). 3. Show that the drag coefficient C is dimensionless. (Show that when you try to find the units of C, they cancel out.) 4. Consider two cars. The EV-1 has a drag coefficient of 0.19 while a more "normal" car has a drag coefficient of 0.30. Estimate the force of air drag on each vehicle at 55 miles per hour and at 75 miles per hour. Report your results in a table. 5. Write an explanation of why falling objects speed up but eventually reach terminal velocity. In this explanation
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11/03/2013
Air Drag and Terminal Velocity Notes
you are not allowed to write any equations (but you may draw diagrams). Hint: you should be discussing forces! 6. Which has a greater force of air drag acting on it: a falling elephant or a falling feather? Explain why the answer is the elephant. If this is the case, why does the elephant, with a larger upward force on it, fall faster than the feather? Explain as carefully and as completely as possible. 7. At terminal velocity the acceleration is zero. At this speed the upward force of air drag exactly cancels the force of gravity so the net force is zero. By setting the two forces equal you can rearrange the equation to find a formula for the speed. Use this method to determine the equation for terminal speed. 8. Model the case of a falling cat. a. Estimate the cross sectional area of a falling cat. b. Estimate the mass of a typical cat. c. Look up the typical terminal velocity of a cat. d. Using the information above, determine a viable value for the drag coefficient "C" of a cat. 9. For the case of the falling cat in problem 6: sketch the curves for acceleration and velocity. Explain why they look the way they do. 10. Pachyderm Paratrooper a. Estimate the terminal velocity of an elephant. b. Estimate the cross-sectional area of the parachute needed to make the elephant's terminal velocity 3 m/s? Assume C=1.0 . 11. Consider a skydiver in the spread-eagle position and the same skydiver in the nose-dive position. Estimate their cross-sectional areas. By what factor is the terminal velocity of the skydiver in the nose-dive position higher? Assume that their drag coefficients are the same. 12. Explain why a small piece of a foam packing "peanut" falls much more slowly than a larger piece of the same material even though they have the same density. 13. If you were in a small windowless room that was dropped out of an airplane, what would you feel as the room fell through the air? If you were positioned on a bathroom scale state what you think the scale would scale read: a. just after your room is dropped from the plane. b. half a minute later. c. when the room reaches its terminal velocity. (The scale reading is really the normal force it is exerting on the object above it.) Bonus: A formal estimation of the density of air. (Remember your chemistry?!) Your final answer needs to be in kilograms per cubic meter. a. What is the composition of earth's atmosphere? b. How many moles are there in a liter of gas at room temperature? c. How many liters are in a cubic meter? (See data sheet) d. Find an approximate number of grams per mole of air molecules. e. Determine the density of air. (kg/m3)
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