How to Calculate Terminal Velocity
Use the terminal velocity formula, v = the square root of ((2*m*g)/(ρ*A*C)).
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Use the terminal velocity formula
Plug the following values into that formula to solve for v, terminal velocity.m = mass of the falling object g = the acceleration due to gravity.
On Earth this is approximately
9.8 meters per second per second. ρ = the density of the fluid the object is falling through.
A = the projected area of the object.
This means the area of the object if you projected it onto a plane that was perpendicular to the direction the object is moving.
C = the drag coefficient.
This number depends on the shape of the object.
The more streamlined the shape, the lower the coefficient.
You can look up some approximate drag coefficients here.; -
Step 2: v = the square root of ((2*m*g)/(ρ*A*C)).
Detailed Guide
Plug the following values into that formula to solve for v, terminal velocity.m = mass of the falling object g = the acceleration due to gravity.
On Earth this is approximately
9.8 meters per second per second. ρ = the density of the fluid the object is falling through.
A = the projected area of the object.
This means the area of the object if you projected it onto a plane that was perpendicular to the direction the object is moving.
C = the drag coefficient.
This number depends on the shape of the object.
The more streamlined the shape, the lower the coefficient.
You can look up some approximate drag coefficients here.;
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