Terminal Velocity Calculator

Formula

The formula to calculate the Terminal Velocity is:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{2mg}{\rho A C_d}} \]

Where:

\(v\) is the Terminal Velocity (m/s)
\(m\) is the Mass of the Object (kg)
\(g\) is the Acceleration due to Gravity (m/s²)
\(\rho\) is the Density of the Medium (kg/m³)
\(A\) is the Cross-sectional Area (m²)
\(C_d\) is the Coefficient of Drag

What is Terminal Velocity?

A terminal velocity is defined as the maximum speed of a falling object where the force of gravity and force of air resistance are equal. This means the object will no longer accelerate and will continue to fall at a constant speed.

Example Calculation

Let's consider an example:

Mass of the Object (m): 70 kg
Acceleration due to Gravity (g): 9.8 m/s²
Density of the Medium (p): 1.225 kg/m³
Cross-sectional Area (A): 0.5 m²
Coefficient of Drag (Cd): 1.0

Using the formula to calculate the Terminal Velocity:

\[ v = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 70 \times 9.8}{1.225 \times 0.5 \times 1.0}} \approx 47.3 \text{ m/s} \]

This means that the Terminal Velocity (v) is approximately 47.3 m/s.