Is air resistance dependent on mass?

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SUMMARY

Air resistance is not dependent on mass but rather on surface area, shape, texture, and velocity of an object. Identical objects differing only in mass experience equal air resistance. However, in the context of aircraft, increasing mass requires greater lift, which in turn increases drag due to a larger angle of attack. When dropping two objects of different masses, the heavier object will achieve a higher terminal velocity due to the effects of air drag.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts such as force and motion.
  • Familiarity with the principles of lift and drag in aerodynamics.
  • Knowledge of terminal velocity and its factors.
  • Awareness of how surface area and shape affect air resistance.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of aerodynamics, focusing on lift and drag coefficients.
  • Explore the concept of terminal velocity in various contexts, including free fall.
  • Learn about the effects of wing profiles on aircraft performance.
  • Investigate the relationship between mass, acceleration, and air resistance in different scenarios.
USEFUL FOR

Aerospace engineers, physics students, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics of air resistance and its implications in aviation and free fall scenarios.

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Is air resistance dependent on mass?

thanks!
 
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It's dependent on surface area.
 
The air resistance is a force that is imposed on whatever comes air with some relative velocity regardless of their mass. A styrofoam ball undergoes the same air resistance that a lead sphere of the same diameter.
 
Air resistance is dependent on size, shape, surface texture, and velocity of a body. Bodies equal in all these respects, but differing in mass, will experience equal air resistance.
 
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It depends on the situation.

If you increase the mass/weight of an aircraft (by filling it with more passengers) then the lift required to keep it in the air increases. The wing has to fly at a larger angle of attack to produce the extra lift and that increases drag.
 
CWatters said:
If you increase the mass/weight of an aircraft (by filling it with more passengers) then the lift required to keep it in the air increases. The wing has to fly at a larger angle of attack to produce the extra lift and that increases drag.
Changing the wing profile is an alteration to the shape.
 
alright thanks peeps!
 
If you drop two objects (identical except for the mass) from a height initially the acceleration is the same (when the speed = 0) but as air drag takes a role (as the speed comes into play) the greater mass will always have a greater acceleration than the lesser mass as well as a higher terminal velocity
 

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