When a bicyclist is riding at 32 km/h in still air, he experiences a drag force

Question

When a bicyclist is riding at 32 km/h in still air, he experiences a drag force (air resistance) of 25 N. a) Calculate the magnitude of the drag force, and the component in the direction opposite his motion, if he is riding north at 32 km/h when there is a 32-km/h wind blowing from the east (perpendicular to the road). Do this twice: i) assuming a linear drag force, and ii) assuming a quadratic drag force. In both cases, assume that the magnitude of the drag force depends only on the speed of the cyclist relative to the air, and is independent of direction (the

Explanation / Answer

a)assuming linear drag force:

here relative speed of cyclist to air=sqrt(32^2+32^2)=45.254 km/h

so if drag force is F,

then F/25=45.254/32

F=35.355 N

b)assuming quadratic drag force:

F/25=45.254^2/32^2

F=50 N

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