A paraglider is flying horizontally at a constant speed. Assume that only two fo

Question

A paraglider is flying horizontally at a constant speed. Assume that only two forces act on it in the vertical direction, its weight and a vertical lift force exerted on its wings by the air. The lift force has a magnitude of 1760 N. For the following, take the upward direction to be the +y direction. (a) What is the force, including sign, that the paraglider exerts on the earth? (b) If the lift force should suddenly decrease to 1400 N, what would be the vertical acceleration, including sign, of the glider? A paraglider is flying horizontally at a constant speed. Assume that only two forces act on it in the vertical direction, its weight and a vertical lift force exerted on its wings by the air. The lift force has a magnitude of 1760 N. For the following, take the upward direction to be the +y direction. (a) What is the force, including sign, that the paraglider exerts on the earth? (b) If the lift force should suddenly decrease to 1400 N, what would be the vertical acceleration, including sign, of the glider?

Explanation / Answer

a) Since the glider is flying horizontally, there is no net vertical force acting on it. Since, the force acting upward is 1760N, the force acting downward as a result of the weight of the glider is also 1760N.

b) W=mg= 1760N

m= 1760/9.8= 179.6 kg

By Newton’s second law,

Ft-mg= ma

Ft/m- g= a

a = 1000/179.6 – 9.8 = - 4.23 m/s^2

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