Free fall and terminal velocity explained

Key ideas

1. In free fall the only force is weight; acceleration is about 9.8 m/s².

2. Air resistance grows with speed until it balances weight; that steady speed is terminal velocity.

3. Opening the parachute makes air resistance bigger than weight, so the skydiver slows to a lower terminal velocity.

4. v² − u² = 2 a s for uniform acceleration (on the equation sheet).