This memory aid covers Memory Aids within Terminal Velocity for GCSE Physics. Revise Terminal Velocity in Extra Topics for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 11 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 9 of 13 in this topic. Use it for quick recall, then test yourself straight afterwards so the memory aid becomes usable in an answer.
🧠 Memory Aids
The "Balanced Forces = Terminal" Rule
Think of a set of scales. When weight is on one side and drag is on the other, the object accelerates as long as the weight side is heavier. Terminal velocity is when the scales balance exactly — both pans level. No resultant force, no acceleration.
Velocity-Time Graph Shapes — GCSE Acronym
For a falling object reaching terminal velocity, the shape of the v-t graph goes through these stages:
S-F-H — Steep (high acceleration at start), Flattening curve (decreasing acceleration), Horizontal line (terminal velocity, zero acceleration)
What Raises vs Lowers Terminal Velocity
Think of it as a tug-of-war between weight and drag:
- More Weight → Wins the tug → terminal velocity goes UP
- More Drag (bigger area, less streamlined) → Damps the fall → terminal velocity goes DOWN
Quick Check: Explain why opening a parachute causes a skydiver to decelerate. Use the concept of forces in your answer.
Opening the parachute dramatically increases the surface area. This greatly increases the drag force. Drag now exceeds weight, so the resultant force acts upward (opposing motion). By Newton's Second Law (F = ma), this upward resultant force causes upward acceleration — which means the skydiver decelerates. The skydiver slows down until a new, lower terminal velocity is reached where drag once again equals weight.
Practice questions for Terminal Velocity
An object reaches terminal velocity when falling through air. Which statement correctly describes the forces at terminal velocity?
Explain how a skydiver reaches terminal velocity after jumping from a plane. Include changes to forces and acceleration in your answer.