Physics A-Level
Terminal speed
What Terminal speed means in Physics A-Level, as defined for AQA.
Definitions of Terminal speed
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Reference: AQA
Reached when a falling object's drag force grows until it balances the object's weight, so the resultant force and the acceleration are zero.
The speed reached when the resultant force is zero, so that weight minus upthrust equals viscous drag.
Topics that use Terminal speed
- Principle of Millikan’s determination of the electronic charge, e (A-level only) (AQA A-Level)
- Projectile motion (AQA A-Level)
Related terms
- Terminal velocity and force balance
- Air resistance
- Combining gravitational, viscous and electric forces
- Drag
- Drag dependence on speed
- Effect of drag on projectile trajectories
- Electric force on a charge
- Electric force on a charged droplet in a uniform field
Using Terminal speed in the exam
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