EVERYDAY SCIENCE - FORCES
Question 1
After watching a speed skydiving competition on TV, Ace wanted to investigate the factors affecting how fast an object would take to reach the ground when dropped. He released 4 sheets of paper and measured the time taken for them to reach the ground.
In a speed skydiving competition, divers compete to achieve the highest speed during their falls. The maximum speed is achieved by staying in a nosedive, vertical position. This differs from normal skydiving, where divers fall in a spread-eagle position, with their limbs extended as shown in the picture.
Fill in the blanks with the keywords provided below.
a) Arrange the sheets of paper (E, F, G or H) according to how long they take to reach the ground (from the fastest to the slowest).
Answer:
(Shortest time)
b) Explain, in terms of forces, why a skydiver will reach a higher speed in a nosedive position compared to a spread-eagle position.
Answer:
The mass of the skydiver does not change, and hence the weight remains
“Peregrine falcons can reach up to speeds of 390 km/h, which is faster than the traditional skydiving speed of about 200 km/h. In speed skydiving, speeds of 500 km/h have been recorded. This means the divers are even faster than the peregrine falcons!”