Science: Explain the difference between an object or a person free-falling without a parachute and with a parachute.

Question

3. Explain the difference between an object or a person free-falling without a parachute and with a parachute.

I'm not exactly sure how to do this one either.

Answer 1

It comes down to air resistance. Without a parachute, air resistance is negligible and you can calculate their velocity, time to get the ground, etc. using basic physics formulas. With a parachute, it becomes more complicated as the parachute allows for air resistance, which acts in the direction opposite of their downward velocity. This would decrease their velocity and increase the time it takes to get to the ground.