When is an object that has been dropped from a great height through the air closest to being in free fall?

A. At its terminal velocity
B. When it has its smallest acceleration
C. When its velocity downward is largest
D. When the velocity downward is smallest

-- "Free fall" means no forces acting on the object except for gravity.
-- An object dropped through air has two forces on it -- gravity and air resistance.
-- So we're looking for the part of the drop where air resistance is smallest.
-- The force of air resistance depends on the speed through the air, so the force of air resistance is smallest when velocity downward is smallest .

Answered by AL2006 | 2024-06-10

If there were no air, the object would be in free fall the entire time, and there would be no "terminal velocity". So, the object is closest to being in free fall when the effects of the air are minimized--and that is when the object has the smallest speed relative to the air.

Answered by jigru | 2024-06-11

An object dropped from a great height is closest to being in free fall when it has its smallest downward velocity, which occurs right after being released. At this point, air resistance is minimal, allowing gravity to act almost unopposed. Thus, the chosen option is D.
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Answered by AL2006 | 2024-11-09