* Forces at Play: When an object falls through the air, there are two main forces acting on it: gravity pulling it down and air resistance pushing it upwards.
* Initial Acceleration: At the beginning of the fall, the only force acting on the object is gravity. This results in the object accelerating at a rate of approximately 9.8 m/s², known as the acceleration due to gravity.
* Increasing Air Resistance: As the object falls faster, the air resistance acting on it increases. This opposing force reduces the net force acting on the object, causing its acceleration to decrease.
* Terminal Velocity: Eventually, the air resistance force becomes equal to the force of gravity. At this point, the net force acting on the object is zero, and it stops accelerating. This constant speed is called terminal velocity.
In Summary: Terminal velocity is the speed at which the acceleration of a falling object reaches zero due to the balance of gravitational force and air resistance. It's not a change in acceleration itself, but rather the point where acceleration becomes zero.
