Terminal Velocity

Sheshonk

So, someone said the random quote "We dropped him faster than a magnet".

So my question is, if this proposed magnet were attracted to the ground, could it go faster than terminal velocity? Or is terminal velocity the fastest something can fall?

Monocles

It depends on how you define terminal velocity. If you defined terminal velocity to be how fast an object is falling when drag is equal to the object's weight, then yes, the magnet will fall faster than its terminal velocity. If you define it to be the point at which air drag causes the net force on an object to be zero, then no, terminal velocity is, by definition, as fast as an object can fall.