What is Air Resistance?
The force exerted by the air on things moving through it is known as air resistance. This force is commonly referred to by scientists as drag or drag force. Typically, this force is applied in the opposite direction as the object’s motion, slowing it down.
The frictional force of air resistance acts on the moving body. When a body moves, air resistance slows it down. The more the body’s motion, the greater the air resistance imposed on it. Air resistance affects all moving objects, including bicycles, automobiles, trains, rockets, airplanes, and even living bodies. As is evident from the picture below, the air resistance acts upon freely falling bodies too, in the direction opposite to the force of gravity.
Air Resistance Formula
Have you ever held your hand out of a speeding car or bus? The air pushes your hand in the direction opposite to the movement of the vehicle. An object falling down from say, a table slows down subsequently because a certain force slows down its fall by acting in the direction opposite to its motion. In both of these cases, a certain force is exerted by the atmosphere upon the objects, thereby slowing down their motion. The force and its formula are discussed below.