Week 1 - Free Falling

1.Simulate and plot a freefalling body(point mass) of mass 1 kg and inertial properties 1 kgm2 in the y-axis (gravity should be 9.81 m/s2 in the negative y-direction) (Use dimension of length in meters, not mm) [60]

2.Does the mass and inertial properties of the body depend on the rate of fall? Justify your answer with analytical(with equation) and simulation results. [20]

If an object free falls in a vacuum, irrespective of its mass, it will reach the ground at the same time, it depends only on the acceleration due to gravity.

In a normal environment, there will be drag force, it is one of the parameters which changes the rate of fall.

Analytically,

Hence the mass and inertial properties of the body do not depend on the rate of fall.

3. In what case will the mass have an effect on the rate of fall? In the same case what other physical characteristics will affect the rate of falls? [20]

On increasing the mass, the rate of fall will not change.

The net force included the drag force, it will affect the rate of fall.

As per the above equation,

The density of the fluid, drag coefficient and velocity, drag area other physical characteristics will affect the rate of fall.