Question

Why will a sheet of paper fall slower than one that is crumpled into a ball?

Answer 1

Hint:We use the relation between air resistance and the surface area of the object that is exposed to the surrounding air to explain the given scenario.

Complete Step by Step Answer:
The falling object is subjected to the opposition force from the air surrounding it and it is termed as air resistance. Air resistance mainly depends on the mass of the falling object and the exposed surface area of the object. The air resistance is directly proportional to the mass of the object and it is inversely proportional to the exposed area. Therefore, higher the mass and lesser the exposed surface area, higher the air resistance.
For the given scenario, the same sheet of paper is crumpled into a ball, so the mass of both objects is the same. But as the sheet of paper is crumpled into a ball, its exposed surface area is reduced. That is, the paper that is crumpled into a ball has less exposed surface area compared to the sheet of paper. So, according to the relation between air resistance and surface area that is exposed to the air, the air resistance is more on the sheet of paper compared to that of the air resistance on the one that is crumpled into a ball. Therefore, as the air resistance is more, the sheet of paper falls slower than one that is crumpled into a ball.

Note: Make sure to know that the same sheet of paper is crumpled into a ball. If a different sheet of paper is crumpled into a ball, then their masses will be different and relationship with mass also should be taken into account.