I think I understand that driving faster increases drag because there’s more air pushing against your vehicle, but why is the drag for that distance greater at higher speeds? If a car is driving slower but across the same distance, wouldn’t the total impulse created by the drag be the same as going faster because it’s delivered over a greater time, even though it’s a smaller force at any given moment?
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The best way to explain it is the drag doesn’t correlate directly with speed. The speed may go up 1 2 3 4 but drag doubles so it’ll be 1 2 4 8. So when you’re going from 30mph to 60mph you’re not just adding 30 pounds of force with it, you’re adding a lot more.
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