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The terminal velocity of a 3 × 10−5 raindrop is about 9 m

/
s. Assuming a drag
force = −, determine (a) the value of the constant b and (b) the time required
for such a drop, starting from rest, to reach 63% of terminal velocity.

1 Answer

4 votes

Answer:

The drag force on an object is given by the equation:

F_d = -bv^2

where F_d is the drag force, b is a constant that depends on the properties of the fluid and the shape of the object, and v is the velocity of the object.

We know that for a 3 × 10^(-5) raindrop, the terminal velocity is about 9 m/s. At terminal velocity, the drag force balances the weight of the raindrop, so we can write:

F_d = mg

where m is the mass of the raindrop and g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2).

Using these equations, we can solve for the value of b:

mg = bv_t^2

b = mg/v_t^2

Plugging in the values given, we get:

b = (3 × 10^(-5) kg)(9.8 m/s^2)/(9 m/s)^2

b ≈ 3.14 × 10^(-5) kg/m

To find the time required for the raindrop to reach 63% of terminal velocity, we can use the following equation:

v(t) = v_t(1 - e^(-kt/m))

where v(t) is the velocity of the raindrop at time t, k is a constant related to b and the density of the fluid (air), and e is the base of the natural logarithm.

At 63% of terminal velocity, v(t) = 0.63v_t. Plugging this into the equation above and solving for t, we get:

t = -m/k * ln(1 - 0.63)

Plugging in the values of m, k, and b, we get:

t = -(3 × 10^(-5) kg)/(0.5 * 1.2 kg/m^3 * 3.14 × 10^(-5) kg/m) * ln(0.37)

t ≈ 0.068 s

Therefore, it would take approximately 0.068 seconds for the raindrop to reach 63% of its terminal velocity.

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