A falling 50-kg skydiver experiences an upward acceleration of 6.2 m/s2 when she opens her parachute. Show (by calculation) how much drag force is produced by the parachute.
What is her weight force?
Use Newton's 2nd Law to find the unbalanced force which she will need to make her 50kg mass accelerate upwards. (remember, the acceleration is only upwards because it's caused by the unbalanced force acting on her in the opposite direction in which she is travelling.)
What are the forces acting on her which add up to the unbalanced force? (HINT: Draw a diagram, look at the question, and remember, you've already found one of the forces, the weight force. This should give you enough information to work out your answer.
To calculate the drag force produced by the parachute, we'll use Newton's second law of motion, which states that the net force acting on an object is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by its acceleration:
Net Force = Mass × Acceleration
In this case, the net force acting on the skydiver when the parachute is opened is equal to the drag force, as there are no other forces mentioned.
So, let's calculate the net force acting on the skydiver:
Net Force = Mass × Acceleration
= 50 kg × 6.2 m/s²
= 310 N
Therefore, the drag force produced by the parachute is 310 Newtons.