Question

When a meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere, three forces act on the meteor. Gravity and upthrust are two of these forces. Give the name of the other force. [1 mark]

Answer 1

In addition to gravity and upthrust, air resistance is the third force acting on a meteor as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere, besides gravity and upthrust, the other force that acts on the meteor is air resistance or drag. This force opposes the motion of the meteor as it travels through the atmosphere. As per Newton's third law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction; the force that the Earth applies on the meteor to stop it is met with an equal force from the meteor but in the opposite direction.

Answer 2

The other force acting on a meteor as it enters the Earth's atmosphere is air resistance or drag force.

Step-by-step explanation:

Air resistance or drag force is the force that opposes the motion of an object as it moves through a fluid (such as air or water). When a meteor enters the Earth's atmosphere, it encounters a large amount of air resistance due to the high speed at which it is moving relative to the atmosphere.

As the meteor moves through the atmosphere, air molecules collide with the meteor, creating a resistance force that acts in the opposite direction to the meteor's motion. This force increases as the meteor's speed increases, and can cause the meteor to slow down and heat up due to friction with the surrounding air molecules.

The force of air resistance is particularly important for meteors because they are typically travelling at very high speeds relative to the atmosphere, and can experience significant heating and deceleration as they enter the denser lower atmosphere. Without air resistance, meteors would continue to travel at their original speeds and would not experience the bright trails or fireballs that are commonly associated with meteors.