Free Fall with Air Resistance Calculator
Calculate fall time, terminal velocity, and drag forces including air resistance effects
Traveling Object Parameters
Mass of the falling object
Height from which the object falls
Earth: 9.807 m/s² • Moon: 1.62 m/s² • Mars: 3.71 m/s²
Skydiver: 0.24 kg/m • Sphere: varies • Calculate below for custom objects
Calculate Air Resistance Coefficient (Optional)
Time and Velocity Results
Terminal Velocity Analysis
✅ Terminal velocity reached! The object has reached approximately 100.0% of its terminal velocity.
Drag Force Calculator
Velocity at which to calculate drag force
Formula: F = k × v² = 0.240000 × 0.00² = 0.00 N
Example Calculations
Skydiver Example
Mass: 75 kg
Altitude: 2000 m
Air resistance (k): 0.24 kg/m
Terminal velocity: √(75×9.807/0.24) = 55.4 m/s
Result: Reaches terminal velocity before impact
Feather vs. Ball
Feather: High air resistance, low terminal velocity
Steel ball: Low air resistance, high terminal velocity
In vacuum: Both fall at same rate
In air: Ball falls much faster than feather
Sphere in Air
Sphere radius: 0.1 m
Area: π × 0.1² = 0.0314 m²
Drag coefficient: 0.47
k: (1.225 × 0.0314 × 0.47) / 2 = 0.009 kg/m
High Altitude Jump
Altitude: 39,000 m (stratosphere)
Lower air density: Affects air resistance
Higher terminal velocity: Due to thinner air
Felix Baumgartner: Exceeded speed of sound
Air Resistance Physics
Drag Force
F = k × v² where k is air resistance coefficient
Terminal Velocity
When drag force equals gravitational force: vt = √(mg/k)
Air Resistance Coefficient
k = ρ × A × Cd / 2 (density × area × drag coefficient)
Typical Drag Coefficients
Medium Densities
Physics Tips
Air resistance increases with the square of velocity
Terminal velocity depends on mass, area, and drag coefficient
Streamlined objects have lower drag coefficients
Higher altitude means lower air density and higher terminal velocity
Understanding Free Fall with Air Resistance
What is Air Resistance?
Air resistance, also called drag force, is a force that opposes the motion of objects through air. Unlike ideal free fall, real-world objects experience this force that increases with velocity, ultimately limiting their maximum speed.
Key Physics Principles
- •Drag force equation: F = k × v² (quadratic with velocity)
- •Terminal velocity: Maximum speed when F_drag = mg
- •Shape matters: Streamlined objects fall faster
- •Medium density: Affects drag coefficient calculation
Real-world Applications
Skydiving: Understanding terminal velocity for safety
Parachutes: Dramatically increase drag to reduce terminal velocity
Aerospace: Designing for minimal drag in aircraft and spacecraft
Famous Examples
- •Galileo's Tower of Pisa experiment
- •Apollo 15 hammer and feather drop on Moon
- •Felix Baumgartner's supersonic freefall
- •Raindrop terminal velocity research
Mathematical Relationships
Drag force equation
Terminal velocity
Air resistance coefficient