---
title: "Terminal Velocity"
description: "Drag grows as an object speeds up, so the resultant force shrinks and the acceleration fades to zero. From then on the object falls at a steady speed, which changes if its area or weight changes."
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/terminal-velocity-mt_3eNYHV-m-c
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/terminal-velocity-mt_3eNYHV-m-c.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Terminal Velocity

Drag grows as an object speeds up, so the resultant force shrinks and the acceleration fades to zero. From then on the object falls at a steady speed, which changes if its area or weight changes.

Subject: Science · Area: Forces & Motion · Ages 14 to 16
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/terminal-velocity-mt_3eNYHV-m-c

## Ready when they can

- Sketches the velocity-time graph of a skydiver before and after the parachute opens, and explains each section
- States that terminal velocity happens when drag equals weight, not when the force disappears
- Predicts how a larger surface area or a heavier load changes the terminal velocity

## Lesson: Why falling stops speeding up

Drag is the push of air or water against motion, always pointing the opposite way. It grows as you go faster. A skydiver speeds up at first because weight beats drag.

Terminal velocity arrives when drag has grown to equal the weight. The forces balance, the resultant hits zero, and the fall continues at a steady top speed. The forces never vanish; they cancel out.

**Example.** A velocity-time graph tells the tale: a steep rise first, then flattening toward terminal velocity. When the parachute opens, drag leaps up, the graph dips, and a new lower terminal velocity takes over.

**Tip.** Area and weight reset the top speed. A larger surface area means more drag and a lower terminal velocity, while a heavier load with the same drag means a higher one. On the Moon, with no air, a feather and a hammer land together.

**Recap.** Drag grows until it balances weight, and from then on you fall steady.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Newton's Second Law with Numbers](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/newtons-second-law-with-numbers-mt_Nn2MVJL7bO)
- [Mass vs Weight](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/mass-vs-weight-mt_sUVeVXzRuq)

## Opens up

- [Momentum and Its Conservation](https://lightmysky.com/learn/science/momentum-and-its-conservation-mt_Nn5_DMbK1_)