If the resistance force against falling objects, is always equivalent to its weight (so they can fall faster higher up because of thinner air and lower resistance), why do meteorites burn up in the atmosphere, but rocks can be pushed way faster than their terminal velocity in water but nothing really happens?
In: Physics
Meteorites are very fast (they don’t just “fall” they come rushing). They hit the atmosphere and are immediately slowed down a lot. The heat is not friction but actually from compressing the air in front of it.
The “resistance against falling objects is equivalent to it’s weight” is only true for the equilibrium. So when the meteorite has already been slowed down, or once a falling object accelerated to terminal velocity.
The force of air friction is roughly proportional to speed squared.
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