Physics › Section C · Forces and Newton's laws › Topic C.7
Drag forces
Anything moving through air or water has to push the fluid out of its way, and the fluid pushes back. That push, called drag, grows quickly with speed, and it explains why falling objects stop speeding up and why cars burn more fuel on the motorway.
In this topic
- Friction from a fluid
- What drag depends on
- The drag equation
- Worked example: a cyclist at two speeds
- Streamlining and fuel use
- Small and slow: drag proportional to speed
- Terminal velocity
- Worked example: a skydiver and a parachute
- Worked example: heavier but the same size
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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