Question

new vocabulary
use your book to fill in the term that matches each definition.

1. a condition that occurs when there are no contact forces acting to support an object and the objects apparent weight is zero
2. constant velocity that is reached when the drag force equals the force of gravity
3. force exerted by a fluid on an object opposing motion through the fluid
4. gravitational force experienced by an object
5. support force exerted by an object
6. a vector quantity that relates the mass of an object to the gravitational force it experiences at a given location

Explanation:

1. For "a condition that occurs when there are no contact forces acting to support an object and the object's apparent weight is zero": This is the definition of weightlessness. In a state of weightlessness, an object seems to have no weight as there are no normal or contact forces countering the gravitational pull in the context of apparent weight measurement (e.g., in free - fall or in orbit where the only force is gravitational and no contact forces like a scale pushing up on the object).
2. For "constant velocity that is reached when the drag force equals the force of gravity": This is the terminal velocity. When an object is falling through a fluid (like air), initially, the gravitational force causes it to accelerate. But as its speed increases, the drag force (opposing the motion) also increases. When the drag force becomes equal in magnitude to the gravitational force, the net force on the object is zero, and it moves with a constant velocity called terminal velocity.
3. For "force exerted by a fluid on an object opposing motion through the fluid": This is the drag force. Fluids (liquids and gases) exert a force on objects moving through them that acts in the opposite direction to the object's motion. For example, when a car moves through air, the air exerts a drag force on the car, and when a fish swims in water, the water exerts a drag force on the fish.
4. For "gravitational force experienced by an object": This is the weight of the object. Weight is calculated as \(W = mg\) (where \(m\) is the mass of the object and \(g\) is the acceleration due to gravity at a given location). It is the force with which the Earth (or any other massive body) attracts an object towards its center.
5. For "support force exerted by an object": This is the normal force. The normal force is a contact force exerted by a surface on an object resting on it. For example, if a book is on a table, the table exerts a normal force (support force) on the book perpendicular to the surface of the table to counteract the weight of the book (assuming the table is horizontal).
6. For "a vector quantity that relates the mass of an object to the gravitational force it experiences at a given location": This is the acceleration due to gravity (\(g\)). The gravitational force \(F = mg\), and \(g\) is a vector (it has a direction towards the center of the massive body, e.g., towards the center of the Earth). Its value can vary slightly depending on the location on the Earth (due to factors like altitude and the Earth's non - perfect spherical shape) or on other celestial bodies.

Answer:

1. Weightlessness
2. Terminal velocity
3. Drag force
4. Weight
5. Normal force
6. Acceleration due to gravity