How and why do objects lose their velocity?

Question

I dont understand how objects lose their velocity when for example they’re in air. Shouldnt the momentum of it be constant?

In: Physics

Answer 1

Newton’s Second Law is the answer to this. It states that an object will maintain its momentum… so long as there are no other forces acting on it. There are quite a few forces acting on an object that moves in our world, just to name a few:

1. Gravity

2. Air pressure

3. Wind speed

4. Wind direction

5. Sound waves

6. The angular momentum of Earth itself

All of these and more have some level of influence on how an object behaves when interacting with it.