Sense I'm not taking Physics C but Physics B I guess I'm not expected to find the value of the drag force sense that would involve soem calculus. I just have a question though. If we performed a lab outside wouldn't the drag force vary from time to time sense the wind could increase or decrease???
Yes, strictly speaking. However, if you are doing a vertical drop test, winds will be mainly horizontal and will not have a large effect on the drag force in the vertical direction.
You can make pretty good estimates of drag from vertical drop tests, without using calculus.
and how would I do that?
Can i find it without calculus in other situations?
For small velocities, you can model it as
DragForce=K*Area*v^2
where K is a constant, Area is the frontal area of the body, and v is velocity. This relationship is pretty good for small velocities, similar to those you would experience in a lab.
Yes, that's correct. In a real-world scenario, the drag force can vary due to changing environmental conditions like wind speed and direction. These variations can affect the drag force acting on an object, making it difficult to determine an exact value for the drag force in such situations.
In Physics B, you may not be expected to calculate the drag force using calculus, as that is typically covered in Physics C. However, you can still study drag forces and observe their effects in a laboratory setting or through experiments.
To investigate the effect of varying wind conditions on the drag force, you could conduct experiments by measuring the forces acting on an object in different wind speeds. Here's a general approach you can follow:
1. Set up an experiment: Choose an object to study (such as a small model car or a sphere) and attach it to a force sensor. Place the object in a controlled environment, preferably without other sources of turbulence or wind, to isolate the effects of wind speed.
2. Measure the drag force: Start with a still or low wind condition and record the force readings from the force sensor. This would represent the baseline or minimal drag force acting on the object.
3. Introduce wind: Gradually increase the wind speed by using a fan or by conducting the experiment on a windy day. After each increase in wind speed, allow the object and force sensor to reach a steady state and record the new force readings.
4. Analyze the data: Plot a graph of the force readings against the corresponding wind speeds to observe the relationship between wind speed and drag force. You may find that there is a proportional increase in the force as wind speed increases.
5. Draw conclusions: Based on the data and observations, you can conclude how the wind affects the drag force and whether there is a consistent trend or pattern.
Remember, the purpose of the experiment is to qualitatively understand how changing wind speeds affect the drag force and not to calculate exact values for the drag force.