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A ball falls straight down through the air under the influence of gravity. There is an opposing force F~ on the ball with magnitude given by F = b v, where v is the speed of the ball and b is a positive constant. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the ball at any time?

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Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

The net force acting on the ball is given by:

F_net = F_gravity - F_air

where F_gravity is the force due to gravity acting downwards and F_air is the force due to air resistance acting upwards.

F_gravity = m g, where m is the mass of the ball and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

F_air = b v, where b is a positive constant and v is the speed of the ball.

The acceleration of the ball is given by:

a = F_net / m

Substituting the expressions for F_gravity and F_air, we get:

a = (m g - b v) / m

Simplifying, we get:

a = g - (b/m) v

Therefore, the acceleration of the ball at any time is given by g - (b/m) v, where g is the acceleration due to gravity, b is a positive constant representing the air resistance force, m is the mass of the ball, and v is the speed of the ball. As the ball falls faster, the air resistance force increases, causing the acceleration to decrease.

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