Calculate the steady falling speed where drag exactly balances weight.
Terminal velocity is reached when drag equals weight. Because drag rises with the square of speed, the approach is asymptotic — 95 per cent is reached in a few time constants but the limit is never quite attained. A skydiver changes terminal velocity by a factor of three purely by changing frontal area, which is why body position controls fall rate.
Terminal Velocity
v_t = √(2 m g ÷ (C_d A ρ))
v_t = √(2 m g ÷ (C_d A ρ)) Terminal velocity is reached when drag equals weight. Because drag rises with the square of speed, the approach is asymptotic — 95 per cent is reached in a few time constants but the limit is never quite attained.
A skydiver changes terminal velocity by a factor of three purely by changing frontal area, which is why body position controls fall rate.
This calculator takes 4 inputs: Mass, Drag coefficient, Frontal area, Air density. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.