Question

A visitor to the observation deck of a skyscraper manages to drop a penny over the edge. As the penny falls faster, the force due to air resistance increases. How does this affect the acceleration of the penny?

a. The acceleration decreases b. The acceleration remains constant and not zero (my answer)
c. The acceleration remains zero d. The acceleration increases.

Answer 1

The increase in speed leads to an increase in the amount of air resistance. Eventually, the force of air resistance becomes large enough to balances the force of gravity. At this instant in time, the net force is 0 Newton; the object will stop accelerating. The object is said to have reached a terminal velocity.

Answer 2

If a coin is dropped at a relatively low altitude, it's acceleration remains constant. However, if the coin is dropped at a very high altitude, air resistance will have a significant effect. The initial acceleration of the coin will be the greatest. As it falls down, air resistance will counteract the weight of the coin. So, the acceleration will decrease. Although the acceleration decreases, the coin still accelerates, that is why it falls faster. When the air resistance fully counters the weight of the coin, the acceleration will become zero and the coin will fall at a constant speed (terminal velocity). So, the answer should be, The acceleration decreases until it reaches 0. The closest answer is.
a. The acceleration decreases.