Please describe the change in velocity of someone falling from a plane before they open their parachute

At first, when the parachutist is at 0ms-1 velocity (about to fall) there is only Weight acting downwards on the person, so the resultant force is down. F=ma, therefore the parachutist accelerates downwards. Then as the velocity of the person increases, drag also increases in the opposite direction, upwards. Drag is directly proportional to velocity^2. Therefore, as drag increases upwards, and the weight of the person stays the same, the resultant force downwards decreases, and therefore acceleration also decreases downwards. Until the magnitude of the drag force is equal to that of the weight. This in turn means that there is no acceleration and the parachutist has reached terminal velocity.

PE
Answered by Pearl E. Physics tutor

3280 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Car 1 has a of mass 1000kg and is going at 20m/s. Car 2 has the same mass as Car 1 and is stationary. If they collide and travel together as one unit in the same direction as Car 1 was going, calculate the speed of the unit after the collision.


What are the three major radiations experienced by heavy unstable nuclei, and how does the penetrating power compare for each?


Describe thermal conduction


A bullet is fired horizontally from a rifle 1.5m from the ground at 430m/s. How far does it travel and for how long does it travel before it hits the ground?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning