The Gravitational Force
The first person to attempt skydiving discovered gravity, one of the major forces at play during the activity. Due to the relatively large mass of the earth, it draws other less massive objects toward it. This can be modeled by the gravitational equation: [F = (G * M * m) / r^2] where F is the force of gravity, G is the gravitational constant of Earth, M is its mass, m is the mass of the object, and r is the distance between the objects’ centers. The force of gravity is acting down on the skydiver at all times.
Combining the equation above with Newton's Second Law (F = m * a) allows us to solve for acceleration.
This new equation: [g = (G + m)/r^2 ] shows that the acceleration due to gravity depends on the distance one is from the center of the earth.
The change in acceleration on a normal dive will not be that significant, however the gravity Felix Baumgartner felt when he dove from 128,000 feet was 9.68 m/s^2 compared to 9.81 m/s^2 at Earth's surface
Combining the equation above with Newton's Second Law (F = m * a) allows us to solve for acceleration.
This new equation: [g = (G + m)/r^2 ] shows that the acceleration due to gravity depends on the distance one is from the center of the earth.
The change in acceleration on a normal dive will not be that significant, however the gravity Felix Baumgartner felt when he dove from 128,000 feet was 9.68 m/s^2 compared to 9.81 m/s^2 at Earth's surface