Lwriting in science
4. assess a driver followed a van with a
surfboard strapped on top. the driver claims
that the van stopped so quickly that the
surfboard flew backward, hitting his car and
causing damage. he wants the driver of the
van to pay for damage to his vehicle and
medical costs. you are the judge in the case.
use newton's laws of motion to write a
judgment in the case. write your response in
your science journal lafs.6.sl.1.3, sc.6.p.13.3

air exerts forces on falling objects near earth’s surface.

explanation:

the term 'free falls' refer to object that are falling towards the earth, in a situation in which gravity is the only force acting on the object.

for an object in free fall, the acceleration is constant (g, the gravitational acceleration), and so the velocity of the object constantly increases.

for objects near earth's surface, there is always another force acting on the object: the resistance due to the air. this force is opposed to the direction of fall of the object, and it is proportional to the velocity of the object, so as the object falls down, this force increases up to a point when it balances the force of gravity, and the object continues its motion at constant velocity (called terminal velocity). since in this case gravity is not the only force acting on the object, we are not in a situation of free fall.