Skydiver

Calculus Level 1

Two forces act on a parachutist. One is \(mg,\) the attraction by the earth, where \(m\) is the mass of the person plus equipment and \(g=9.8 \text{ m/sec}^2\) is the acceleration of gravity. The other force is the air resistance ("drag"), which is assumed to be proportional to the square of the velocity \(v(t)\).

Using Newton's second law of motion (mass \(\times\) acceleration = net force applied), set up an ordinary differential equation for \(v(t).\)

Let \(k\) denote the drag coefficient.

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