How does a skydiver reach terminal velocity?

At the start of the jump, the skydiver starts accelerating downwards due to his weight (force of gravity). There is a resultant force downwards as the weight is larger than the air resistance (weight>air resistance). As the skydiver accelerates and increases her speed, the air resistance on the skydiver increases. At terminal velocity, the air resistance has become so large that it equals the weight of the skydiver (weight=air resistance). This is because there is no resultant force on the skydiver - the weight and air resistance cancel each other out, therefore, the skydiver is no longer accelerating. This means that it has reached terminal velocity and is not increasing/decreasing her speed anymore.

TN
Answered by Teodor N. Physics tutor

5352 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Matt weighs 60kg and his son, Rob weighs 30kg. They both run a 100m race and finish the race running at 5m/s. Who has more Kinetic Energy at the end of the race?


Why, in a thermal flask, does having a vacuum layer help keep the coffee warm?


Using the principle of the conservation of energy, calculate the maximum speed of a ball of 5.0kg that has been dropped from a height of 20m. (Given that the gravitational field strength is equal to 9.8N/kg)


A ball is dropped from a height of 20m. How long does it take for the ball to reach 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:

© 2025 by IXL Learning