Two skydivers of different masses jump from a plane. In three to five sentences, explain how their falls compare, including the effects of gravity, mass, and air resistance.

Question

(My answer) When a skydiver jumps out of a plane, the skydiver accelerates down because of gravity. No air resistance acts in the upwards direction, then the result is force going down.

Is this a good answer for the question?

Answer 1

Your answer is a good start, but it doesn't fully address the question. Here's a more complete answer:

When two skydivers of different masses jump from a plane, they will experience different rates of acceleration due to gravity. The more massive skydiver will experience a greater force of gravity pulling them down, and therefore accelerate faster than the lighter skydiver. However, both skydivers will also experience air resistance, which will slow them down as they fall. The effect of air resistance is greater for the larger skydiver, since they have a larger surface area and therefore experience more drag. Overall, the larger skydiver will fall faster initially, but will eventually reach a terminal velocity where the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity, and both skydivers will fall at the same speed.

Answer 2

ok thx

Answer 3

NO !!~!~
If there were no air resistance the would BOTH accelerate at the SAME rate , g, about 9.81 m/s^2
F = m a = m g
so
a = g
The air resistance of the bigger diver (or one with a parachute) will slow him down.

Answer 4

thx Damon i fixed it <3

Answer 5

You are welcome :)