PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Russian Paratroopers to Land on Drifting Arctic Ice
Old 19th Feb 2016, 16:24
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KenV
 
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I beg to differ. Two objects with identical Cd and frontal area, but with differing mass, will fall at exactly the same rate.
So a human being of mass 100 kg and that same human being of mass 300 kg will have the same terminal velocity? Ummm, no.

Terminal velocity is reached when the drag force equals the mass force. It is a very simple balancing equation.

If the Cd and frontal area are identical, their drag is identical and the resulting drag force will be identical for any given speed. Since one object is heavier, the mass force of one object will be greater than the other. Since they have identical drag force, the heavier object must have higher terminal velocity. It is very simple and basic math.

Last edited by KenV; 19th Feb 2016 at 19:22.
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