This key facts covers Key Facts within Terminal Velocity for GCSE Physics. Revise Terminal Velocity in Extra Topics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 11 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 7 of 13 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 7 of 13
Practice
13 questions
Recall
11 flashcards
📋 Key Facts
- Terminal velocity occurs when drag = weight (resultant force = 0)
- At terminal velocity, acceleration = 0 — but the object is still moving
- The gradient of a v-t graph equals acceleration; zero gradient = terminal velocity
- The area under a v-t graph equals distance travelled
- Larger surface area → more drag at same speed → lower terminal velocity
- Greater weight → needs more drag to balance → higher terminal velocity
- More streamlined shape → less drag → higher terminal velocity
- Drag is approximately proportional to speed squared — doubling speed roughly quadruples drag
- Transformers can only step voltage up/down for alternating current (AC), not DC