Free Fall with Air Resistance Calculator

Your details

The total mass of the falling object.
kg
The height from which the object is released.
m
Dimensionless drag coefficient. A skydiver belly-down is about 1.0; a sphere is about 0.47; a streamlined shape is 0.04-0.1.
The projected frontal area of the object perpendicular to its direction of motion.
m²
Air density at the relevant altitude. Standard sea-level air is 1.225 kg/m³ (0.00237 slug/ft³).
kg/m³
Standard gravity at sea level on Earth is 9.81 m/s² (32.17 ft/s²). Change this for other planets.
m/s²
Calculate the drag force acting on the object at this specific speed.
m/s
Terminal velocityTerminal velocity reached
41.43m/s

The constant speed reached when drag force equals gravitational force

Time to fall51.21s
Maximum velocity reached41.43m/s
Air resistance coefficient (k)0.4288kg/m
Drag force at query velocity385.88N
Terminal velocity (display unit)41.43
Fall time (display)51.21
Max velocity (display)41.43
Drag force at query velocity (display)385.88
Reaches terminal velocity?Yes - impact speed equals terminal velocity
41.43 m/s
Slow fall<20Moderate speed20-50High speed50-80Extreme speed80+

Terminal velocity: 41.43 m/s. Impact: 41.43 m/s in 51.21 s.

  • Terminal velocity is 41.43 m/s. The object reaches this speed before impact.
  • The object hits the ground after 51.21 seconds, at 41.43 m/s (100% of terminal velocity).
  • The combined air resistance coefficient k is 0.4288 kg/m, accounting for the object's shape, size, and the air density.

Next stepTo reduce terminal velocity, increase the drag coefficient or cross-sectional area (for example, a parachute dramatically increases both). To model a parachute opening mid-fall, split the fall into two phases.

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