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Q.A parachutist flying in an aeroplane jumps when it is at a height of 3 km above ground. He opens his parachute when he is about 1 km above ground. Describe his motion.
Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education (Intermediate 1st Year) 2024Subjective· 4mImportance★★★★★
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Phase 1 (3 km to 1 km, parachute closed): he accelerates downward (small drag), speeding up toward a high terminal velocity. Phase 2 (below 1 km, parachute open): the large drag decelerates him to a low, steady terminal velocity, and he lands slowly and safely.
The parachutist's downward motion happens in two phases:
Phase 1 - From 3 km to 1 km (before opening the parachute):
- Two forces act: his weight mg downward, and air resistance (drag) upward.
- Initially, at the moment he jumps, his speed is low, so drag is small and much less than his weight. The net downward force is large, so he accelerates downward and his speed increases.
- As his speed increases, the air resistance grows. His acceleration decreases, and his speed approaches a large value called the (high) terminal velocity, at which drag would balance his weight. During this phase his motion is nearly a fast free fall.
Phase 2 - At and below 1 km (after opening the parachute):
- Opening the parachute suddenly presents a very large surface area to the air, so the air resistance (drag) becomes very large - much greater than his weight.
- The net force is now upward, so he decelerates rapidly and his speed decreases quickly. …
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