Air Resistance

Gravity

Name one thing you think could help him in this situation?

With a parachute, they will not be travelling very fast when they hit the ground.

They are falling through the air and another force is acting on them.

This force is called air resistance.

As gravity pulls the man down, air pushes upwards inside the parachute

There are two forces acting on the man . He falls at a safe speed because the forces pull in opposite directions so they cancel each other out.

The two forces are balanced

It is very easy to wave your hand through the air. This is is because the air is a thin substance.

This means parachutes need to cover a big area. A small parachute will not experience enough air resistance and a parachutist will fall

Air resistance is like friction. It slows things down

A large area gives a lot of air resistance. The thistle uses air resistance to make its seed float far away on the wind

The plane is designed to move smoothly through the air with very little air resistance. This type of shape is called streamlined