A 65.3 kg skydiver falls through the air and eventually reaches terminal velocity. The gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver at terminal velocity is:

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Gravitational acceleration near Earth's surface is 9.81 m/s^2, so the gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver remains 9.81 m/s^2 even at terminal velocity.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Gravitational acceleration (g) is the acceleration an object would experience due to Earth's gravity alone; near Earth's surface g ≈ 9.81 m/s^2.
- Terminal velocity means the drag force from air equals the weight (mg), producing zero net force and therefore zero net acceleration. This does NOT change the value of g or the gravitational acceleration acting on the object.

2) Complete reasoning step by step
- Weight (gravitational force) = m · g.
- At terminal velocity, drag = weight, so net force = drag − weight = 0 → net acceleration = 0.
- However, the gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver is still g (it is the acceleration due to gravity, not the net acceleration).

3) Calculations and intermediate steps
- Compute the weight to illustrate the forces: weight = m · g = 65.3 kg × 9.81 m/s^2.
- 9.81 × 65.3 = (9.81 × 65) + (9.81 × 0.3) = 637.65 + 2.943 = 640.593 N.
- Note: 640.593 is in newtons (N), a force; it is not an acceleration.

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- Option b (9.81 m/s^2) directly gives the gravitational acceleration g, which is the quantity asked for. Terminal velocity does not change g.

5) Why the other options are incorrect
- a (640.59 m/s/s) is numerically the weight but with wrong units; 640.59 is in newtons, not m/s^2.
- c (65.30 m/s/s) is simply the mass value with wrong units; mass is kg, not an acceleration.
- d (0.0 m/s/s) describes the net acceleration at terminal velocity, not the gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver.

6) Conclusion
- The gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver at terminal velocity is 9.81 m/s^2, matching answer b.

A 65.3 kg skydiver falls through the air and eventually reaches terminal velocity. The gravitational acceleration acting on the skydiver at terminal velocity is:Single choice

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