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A piece of paper falls slowly to the ground because of air resistance. The large surface area of the paper interacts with air molecules, creating a force that opposes its downward motion, causing it to fall more slowly than heavier objects with less surface area.

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Q: Why does a piece of paper fall slowly to the ground?
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Continue Learning about Physics

What will fall from the same height first. ball or paper?

In a vacuum, both a ball and a piece of paper will fall at the same rate and hit the ground at the same time because they are subject to the same gravitational acceleration. However, in reality, the paper may experience more air resistance and fall more slowly than the ball.


What would fall faster a feather or a piece of paper?

In a vacuum, a feather and a piece of paper would fall at the same rate due to gravity. However, in Earth's atmosphere, the feather would fall more slowly due to air resistance.


What happens if you drop a book and a piece of paper at the same time?

Both the book and the piece of paper will fall to the ground at the same rate due to gravity. The book may reach the ground faster due to its greater mass and air resistance, but they will still fall at the same rate in a vacuum.


Why does a piece of paper fall more slowly when it is flat than when it was rolled up?

When a piece of paper is rolled up, it creates more air resistance due to its irregular shape compared to when it's flat. The increased air resistance slows down the fall of the rolled up paper compared to the flat paper.


If a book and a piece of paper is falling at different rates how can you change the shape of the paper so they will nearly fall at the same rate?

You can crumple the paper up to increase its air resistance, which will slow down its rate of fall. This will cause the paper to fall more slowly, closer to the rate at which the book is falling.