Definition:Air Resistance

Definition

Air resistance is the resistance to motion experienced by a body $B$ moving through air.

It is caused by the flow of air over the surface of $B$.

Examples

Raindrop

The speed of fall of a drop of rain is affected by the air resistance of the atmosphere.

Parachutist

A parachutist is able to fall to the ground at a slow enough speed so as to be able to land gently because of the air resistance against the parachute.

Also see

• Results about air resistance can be found here.

Sources

• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): air resistance
• 2021: Richard Earl and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (6th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): air resistance