A parachutist whose weight is 70 kg evenly falls to the ground. What is the air resistance force acting on the parachute?

| July 14, 2021 | education

Given:

m = 70 kilograms – the weight of the parachutist;

g = 9.8 meters per second squared – the acceleration of gravity.

It is required to determine Fresistance (Newton) – the force of air resistance acting on the parachute.

Since the condition of the problem is not specified, we neglect the mass of the parachute itself.

Two forces act on the parachutist in flight: the force of gravity F of gravity, directed downward, and the force of air resistance Fresistance, directed upward. Since the condition of the problem indicates that the parachutist is released uniformly (that is, with a constant speed), then, according to Newton’s first law, these two forces are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction:

Fresistance = Fgravity;

Fresistance = m * g = 70 * 9.8 = 686 Newton.

Answer: the force of air resistance is 686 Newtons.



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