The Drag Force
Another important force a skydiver experiences is drag. Drag is a force that resists motion on an object through fluid. In the case of a person falling through the air, drag takes the form of air resistance, which acts opposite in direction to the force of gravity.
The equation for drag is: D = ½(C * p * A * v^2)
D is the force of drag, C is the drag coefficient which is a constant and varies depending on the fluid, p is the density of the fluid (in this case air), A is the projected cross sectional area of the person perpendicular to the flow of air, and v is the relative velocity of the person.
Drag is important for a skydiver to understand, and can be a useful tool to control velocity. When a diver increases his surface area, he also increases his drag and decreases his velocity. This is why fat people fall slower than skinny people and people that link up also fall slower as they have increased surface area.
The equation for drag is: D = ½(C * p * A * v^2)
D is the force of drag, C is the drag coefficient which is a constant and varies depending on the fluid, p is the density of the fluid (in this case air), A is the projected cross sectional area of the person perpendicular to the flow of air, and v is the relative velocity of the person.
Drag is important for a skydiver to understand, and can be a useful tool to control velocity. When a diver increases his surface area, he also increases his drag and decreases his velocity. This is why fat people fall slower than skinny people and people that link up also fall slower as they have increased surface area.
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