Drag Forces
- Drag forces are forces acting the opposite direction to an object moving through a fluid (either gas or liquid)
- Examples of drag forces are friction and air resistance
- A key component of drag forces is it increases with the speed of the object. This is shown in the diagram below:
Frictional forces on a car increase with its speed
Worked example
A car of mass 800 kg has a horizontal driving force of 3 kN acting on it.Its acceleration is 2.0 m s-2.What is the frictional force acting on the car?
Examiner Tip
Remember to consider drag forces in your calculation for the resultant force. More details of this are in the notes “Force and acceleration”.