Investigation of student understanding of air resistance and terminal speed~

The topic of air resistance has received relatively little attention in terms of research-based curriculum development.~ Even though students demonstrate an awareness of air resistance, they struggle to answer basic qualitative questions.~ For example, they sometimes believe that, because mass does not appear in the air resistance force formula, it does not need to be considered.~ This is not the case for an object falling at terminal velocity, where the air resistance force is balanced by the weight force.~ At Western Washington University, a lab activity has been created to strengthen student understanding. The talk will describe the lab, and present pre and post-assessments of student understanding to evaluate the effectiveness of the lab.~