Enter the mass, acceleration, density of the fluid, cross-sectional area, and drag coefficient into the calculator to determine the maximum velocity.

Maximum Velocity Calculator

Terminal velocity of an object falling through air. Pick an object or enter your own.

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Assumes sea-level air (1.225 kg/m³) and Earth gravity.

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Maximum Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Maximum Velocity.

Vmax = SQRT ( 2*m*a / (p*A*C) )
  • Where Vmax is the maximum velocity (m/s)
  • m is the mass of the object (kg)
  • a is the total acceleration (m/s^2)
  • p is the density of the fluid (kg/m^3)
  • A is the cross-sectional area (m^2)
  • C is the coefficient of drag

To calculate the maximum velocity, divide the product of 2 times the acceleration times the mass by the product of the density, cross-sectional area, and coefficient of drag, then take the square root of the result.

What is a Maximum Velocity?

Definition:

A Maximum Velocity measures the peak velocity that an object will reach under a specific acceleration. This peak velocity is reached when the acceleration equals the force of drag divided by the mass.

How to Calculate Maximum Velocity?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Maximum Velocity.

First, determine the mass of the object. In this example, the mass is found to be 20kg.

Next, determine the total acceleration. For this problem, the total acceleration is found to be 25 m/s^2.

Next, determine the density of the fluid. In this case, the density of the fluid is measured to be 1.2 kg/m^3.

Next, determine the cross-sectional area exposed to drag. In this problem, the area is 3 m^2.

Next, determine the coefficient of drag. This is determined to be .45.

Finally, calculate the Maximum Velocity using the formula above:

Vmax = SQRT ( 2*m*a / (p*A*C) )

Vmax = SQRT ( 2*20*25 / (1.2*3*.45) )

Vmax = 24.845 m/s