How Does Air Resistance Affect Falling Objects?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a physics problem involving the effects of air resistance on a falling object, specifically a chunk of ice dropped from the CN Tower. Participants are exploring the relationship between kinetic energy, work, and the average force of air resistance acting on the object during its fall.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are attempting to determine the average force due to air resistance by considering the change in kinetic energy. There are questions about how to calculate the work done by air resistance and how to compare kinetic energy with and without air resistance.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants offering suggestions on how to approach the problem. Some have proposed calculating the velocity of the ice without air resistance as a starting point, while others are focusing on the loss of kinetic energy to find the work done by air resistance.

Contextual Notes

There appears to be some confusion regarding the application of kinetic energy concepts and the calculation of forces, indicating that participants are still clarifying their understanding of the problem setup and relevant physics principles.

elitespart
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The CN tower in 553m tall. Suppose a chuck of ice w/ a mass of 25.0g falls from the top of the tower. The speed of the ice is 33.0m/s as it passes the restaurant in the tower located 353m above the ground. What is the average force due to air resistance?

I'm having trouble getting started on this problem. I know how to calculate work and change in KE, but how do I use those to get the answer? Any help would be appreciated.
 
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elitespart said:
The CN tower in 553m tall. Suppose a chuck of ice w/ a mass of 25.0g falls from the top of the tower. The speed of the ice is 33.0m/s as it passes the restaurant in the tower located 353m above the ground. What is the average force due to air resistance?

I'm having trouble getting started on this problem. I know how to calculate work and change in KE, but how do I use those to get the answer? Any help would be appreciated.

You could start by figuring out what the ice's velocity would be without any air resistance.
 
ok now what
 
He's implying to look at the loss in kinetic energy...

Now, how would you calculate the work done by air resistance?
 
find diff. b/w KE w/out air resistance and with air resistance?
 
Last edited:

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