Question

You drop a crumpled piece of paper. after a short time, it is falling at a constant speed. when the paper is falling at a constant speed, there is a drag force on the paper that is directed __________ and the net force on the paper is __________.

Answer 1

When the crumpled piece of paper is falling at constant speed, the drag force is directed upwards, opposing gravity, leading to a net force of zero.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a crumpled piece of paper is dropped and it falls at a constant speed, it reaches what is known as its terminal velocity. At this point, the drag force on the paper is directed upwards, exactly opposite to the direction of gravity. Consequently, the net force on the paper is zero because the upward drag force is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the downward gravitational force. This state of equilibrium is what keeps the paper falling at a constant speed and not accelerating further.