QuestionChoose two properties of a leaf that affect its fall due to air resistance: mass, surface area, gravity, or initial distance?
Studdy Solution
STEP 1
Assumptions1. The leaf is falling through the air.
. Air resistance is visibly affecting the leaf.
3. The properties that affect air resistance include acceleration due to gravity, initial distance from the ground, mass, and surface area.
STEP 2
We need to understand how each of these properties affects air resistance.
Air resistance, also known as drag, is a force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid (in this case, air). The amount of air resistance an object experiences depends on several factors, including the object's speed, its shape, and its size.
STEP 3
First, let's consider the acceleration due to gravity. This is a constant force that pulls objects towards the earth. It does not change based on the object's properties, so it does not directly affect air resistance. Therefore, acceleration due to gravity is not a correct answer.
STEP 4
Next, let's consider the initial distance from the ground. This property does not affect the air resistance a leaf experiences while it is falling. The air resistance depends on the properties of the leaf and the air, not on the leaf's location. Therefore, initial distance from the ground is not a correct answer.
STEP 5
Now, let's consider the mass of the leaf. The mass of an object does not directly affect the air resistance it experiences. However, a heavier object will fall faster in the absence of air resistance, and a faster object experiences more air resistance. But in this case, the leaf's mass is not what allows it to be affected by air resistance. Therefore, mass is not a correct answer.
STEP 6
Finally, let's consider the surface area of the leaf. The larger an object's surface area, the more air it comes into contact with, and the more air resistance it experiences. Therefore, a leaf's surface area is one of the properties that allows it to be affected by air resistance.
The correct answers are surface area.
Was this helpful?
