Question

a company uses drones to fly food to people in regions that have experienced natural disasters. the food is packed in boxes that are attached to parachutes. how can the company change the design of its parachute to reduce the number of boxes that are damaged when they hit the ground? (1 point) the company can design a smaller parachute. the company can design a lighter parachute. the company can design a heavier parachute. the company can design a parachute with more surface area.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the effect of parachute size on air resistance

A larger - surface - area parachute will experience more air resistance. Air resistance acts in the opposite direction of the motion of the falling box.

Step2: Relate air resistance to the speed of the falling box

According to the principle of motion, the greater the air resistance \(F_{air}\), the more it can counteract the force of gravity \(F = mg\) (where \(m\) is the mass of the box and \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity). Using Newton's second law \(F_{net}=ma\), where \(F_{net}=mg - F_{air}\). A larger \(F_{air}\) will result in a smaller acceleration \(a\) of the falling box. A smaller acceleration means the box will hit the ground with a lower velocity \(v\) (using the kinematic equation \(v^{2}=v_{0}^{2}+ 2ah\), assuming \(v_{0} = 0\) if dropped from rest and \(h\) is the height of fall). A lower impact velocity reduces the damage to the box.

A smaller parachute (\(F_{air}\) is smaller) will lead to a higher impact velocity. The mass of the parachute (lighter or heavier) does not directly affect the air - resistance force on the box (the air - resistance force on the box - parachute system mainly depends on the cross - sectional area and the speed of the system in air, not the mass of the parachute itself for a given box mass).

Answer:

The company can design a parachute with more surface area.