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profaith
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hey how do you find terminal velocity? let say if you need to find the terminal veolcity of a ping pong ball? anyone has any ideas? what kind of experiment can i conduct?
The terminal velocity of spheres like ping pong balls are fairly easy to compute and measure. The motion of such a sphere in still air at standard atmospheric temp & pressure will have a Drag Coefficient approx constant at [tex] C_{drag} = (0.44) [/tex]. The force [tex] F_{drag} [/tex] due to aerodynamic drag ("air resistance") when the sphere falls thru air under those conditions is given by:profaith said:hey how do you find terminal velocity? let say if you need to find the terminal veolcity of a ping pong ball? anyone has any ideas? what kind of experiment can i conduct?
xanthym said:The above value can be checked experimentally by dropping the sphere from a tall ladder in still air. Time the fall and divide the distance fallen (e.g., height of the ladder) by the time interval to determine approx terminal velocity.
Terminal velocity is the maximum speed that an object can reach when falling through a fluid, such as air. It occurs when the force of gravity pulling the object downwards is equal to the force of air resistance pushing the object upwards.
Terminal velocity can be calculated by using the equation: v = √(2mg/ρAC), where v is the terminal velocity, m is the mass of the object, g is the acceleration due to gravity, ρ is the density of the fluid, A is the cross-sectional area of the object, and C is the drag coefficient.
The factors that affect terminal velocity include the mass and shape of the object, the density and viscosity of the fluid, and the presence of other forces such as wind or air currents. Objects with a larger surface area or a lower density will have a lower terminal velocity, while objects with a smaller surface area or a higher density will have a higher terminal velocity.
Terminal velocity can be measured using a variety of methods, such as using a high-speed camera to capture the fall of an object and then analyzing the footage to determine its speed. Other methods include using sensors or instruments attached to the object or dropping the object from a known height and measuring the time it takes to reach the ground.
Terminal velocity is important in physics because it helps us understand the forces acting on objects in motion, specifically the balance between gravity and air resistance. It also has practical applications, such as in skydiving and designing parachutes, and can be used to study the properties of different fluids and objects.