Lesson 2 of 6

Drag, Lift & Terminal Velocity

6 min read•2/19 sections

Why a 150 km/h ball only decelerates ~2 m/s.

Terminal velocity for a cricket ball is ~118 km/h — a top-edged skier from a approaches it on the way down.

Application: Explains why altitude venues (Johannesburg, Dharamsala) produce 6–8% longer sixes.

Technical Breakdown

19-section schema

is air resistance; is any perpendicular aerodynamic .

scales with velocity squared and cross-sectional area. A cricket ball at 145 km/h experiences ~0.3 N of 20 metres.