We know that as an object passes through the air, the air exerts a resistive
force on it. Suppose we have a spherical object of radius \(R\) and mass \(m\).
What might the force plausibly depend on?
\- It might depend on the properties of the object. The only ones that seem
relevant are \(m\) and \(R\).
\- It might depend on the object's coordinate and its derivatives:
\(\vec{r}, \vec{v}, \vec{a}, \ldots\)
\- It might depend on the properties of the air, such as the density, \(\rho\).
(a) Explain why it is plausible that the force the air exerts on a sphere
depends on \(R\) but implausible that it depends on \(m\).
(b) Explain why it is plausible that the force the air exerts depends on the
object's speed through it, \(|\vec{v}|\), but not on its position, \(\vec{r}\), or
acceleration, \(\vec{a}\).
(c) Dimensional analysis is the use of units (e.g., meters, seconds, or
newtons) associated with quantities to reason about the relationship between
the quantities. Using dimensional analysis, construct a plausible form for the
force that air exerts on a spherical body moving through it.