When a skydiver jumps from a plane and achieves terminal speed. Which quantity remains constant?
(a) Momentum
(b) kinetic energy
(c) potential energy
(d) both a and b
(e) both a and c
I say kinetic energy, am i right?
Since speed attains a constant "terminal" value, and mass remains the same, both K.E. and momentum remain constant.
To answer this question, let's first understand what terminal speed is. Terminal speed is the maximum constant speed that an object, in this case, a skydiver, can reach while falling through a fluid (in this case, air).
When a skydiver jumps from a plane and achieves terminal speed, they are no longer accelerating because the force of gravity pulling them downwards is balanced by the air resistance pushing against them. At this point, the skydiver is not gaining any additional speed, and therefore, their kinetic energy remains constant.
So, by applying this understanding, the correct answer is indeed (b) kinetic energy.