Nugatory
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write4u said:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity
I read that to mean that at "terminal velocity" acceleration becomes zero. But what happens in between stationary and terminal speed, is the object accelerating until it reaches terminal speed?
If you're talking about coordinate acceleration relative to the surface of the Earth (coordinate acceleration is always relative to something else) then the object is accelerating between stationary and terminal speed, with the acceleration greatest at the beginning and decreasing until it reaches zero as the object reaches terminal speed.
If you're talking proper acceleration, it starts out zero and increases until it stabilizes at -1g when the object reaches terminal velocity. Note the negative sign - the proper acceleration at terminal velocity is upwards, and that's what keeps the object's speed relative to the surface of the Earth (which is also experiencing proper acceleration of 1g upwards) constant at terminal velocity.
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