Weight and Drag Forces
Weight and Drag Forces
Name:
Date:
Class:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Experience the Phenomenon
How do you think the forces acting on the skydiver affect his motion before and after
opening the parachute?
Explore the Phenomenon
1. What force causes the skydiver to fall down to the ground when he jumps out of the
plane?
2. What other force acts on the skydiver due to the particles of air?
3. Draw a free-body diagram of the skydiver to represent the two forces acting on him,
showing if they are of equal magnitudes or not.
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Weight and Drag Forces
Name:
Date:
Class:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Out of these two forces, state which force changes a lot when the parachute is
released. Also state which force changes if the skydiver is heavier.
5. In fact, the forces on the skydiver balance at a certain point. Draw another free-body
diagram to represent the balanced forces.
How does the motion of the skydiver modify when the forces are balanced? Give your
answer in light of Newton’s second law that you learned in the previous lesson.
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Weight and Drag Forces
Name:
Date:
Class:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Explain the Phenomenon
Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning
How do the forces acting on the skydiver affect his motion before and after opening the
parachute?
Answer the question in the table below by writing a claim, giving evidence to support the
claim, and reasoning for the evidence and claim you have written. Revisit your claim
throughout your lesson when you find new evidence that supports your claim.
Write your claim below.
Write your evidence below.
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Write your reasoning below.
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