Exploration 5.6: Air Friction



b = | n =

Please wait for the animation to completely load.

Two identical balls are dropped. The one on the left is in a resistive medium represented by varying shades of blue. The resistive force is represented as b vn, where b is a constant between 0 and 2 and n is an integer between 0 and 2 (note that as you vary n, the units of b also change). Restart.

Select values for b and n, and then click on a graph link to show the motion and that particular graph. When you get a good-looking graph, right-click on it to clone the graph and resize it for a better view.

  1. How does your choice of n (0, 1, 2) affect the unit of b?
  2. For b = 1, how does your choice of n (0, 1, 2) affect the position vs. time graph?
  3. For b = 1, how does your choice of n (0, 1, 2) affect the velocity vs. time graph?
  4. For b = 1, how does your choice of n (0, 1, 2) affect the acceleration vs. time graph?
  5. For b = 1, how does your choice of n (0, 1, 2) affect the terminal velocity?

Download PDF Worksheet