The Physics of Skydiving

The Physics of Skydiving

Meghan Fluharty

Scott Pineda

Joshua Snyder

Physics for Society

Professor Michael Cohen

August 4, 2011

Generally when one considers the sport of skydiving their initial thoughts do not lead to the consideration of the laws of motion, gravity, air resistance, and terminal velocity, rather most just consider the thrill of plummeting to the ground at extreme speeds. The art of skydiving could not be possible without a full understanding of physics; this knowledge is what keeps these daredevils safe. But, what happens when the fall goes wrong? How does physics interact with a body, when the element of a parachute is simply not fully available, due to malfunction? Would a free fall to earth almost certainly spell out death, or are there instances where the perfect storm of physics keep one from facing an almost certain fate? The purpose of our research is to use acceleration and gravity to determine the velocity and speed of a free fall from 15,000 feet. Factors such as position and air density can directly impact the speed of a fall; the unification of ideal factors will help us determine how to survive a free fall in the event of an equipment malfunction.

Understanding the sport is the first step to understanding how physics effects the fall. The diver is equipped with a suit, parachute, reserve parachute, boots, goggles, gloves, a helmet and a weight belt. The suit itself has directly correlates with the speed of the fall, the tighter the suit the faster the fall, the looser the suit the slower the fall. The position of the body also impacts the speed, horizontal fall leads to increased surface area, which increases air resistance, if the diver jumps vertical their speed will increase due to less air resistance. The basic concepts as described to us by Sir Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci lay the groundwork for the basis of skydiving. The understanding of gravity (as part of the law of attraction) and the concept of...