Terminal Velocity

Problems involving terminal velocity and calculus

What is terminal velocity?

• Terminal velocity is the fastest speed an object can obtain while moving through a fluid that has a resistance dependent upon the velocity of the object

• Terminal velocity occurs when acceleration reaches zero.• Fnet = 0 therefore the forward force = the resistance force• When an object falls through the air it picks up speed and the air

pushes back ever harder driving the acceleration down. • Remember the acceleration decreases, but it is still accelerating,

hence the velocity increases all the way to terminal velocity• In general, air resistance depends on the shape of the falling object

and the speed of the object (also the density of the fluid, but that is typically constant)