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A ball falls from rest through glycerine and reaches terminal velocity - Edexcel - A-Level Physics - Question 3 - 2023 - Paper 1

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A ball falls from rest through glycerine and reaches terminal velocity. Which of the following graphs shows how displacement $s$ varies with time $t$ for the ball? ... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:A ball falls from rest through glycerine and reaches terminal velocity - Edexcel - A-Level Physics - Question 3 - 2023 - Paper 1

Step 1

Which of the following graphs shows how displacement $s$ varies with time $t$ for the ball?

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Answer

To answer this question, we need to understand the behavior of an object falling under the influence of gravity and experiencing a drag force, leading to terminal velocity.

When a ball falls through a viscous medium like glycerine, it initially accelerates due to gravity. As it continues to fall, the upthrust from the viscous medium increases until it equals the gravitational force acting on the ball. At this point, the ball reaches terminal velocity and the displacement continues to increase, but at a decreasing rate, leading to a curve.

Among the given options, Graph B accurately represents this scenario, where the displacement begins to increase rapidly at first and then levels off, indicating the ball has reached terminal velocity.

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