The Collaborative International Dictionary
Terminal \Ter"mi*nal\ (-nal), a. [L. terminals: cf. F. terminal. See Term, n.]
Of or pertaining to the end or extremity; forming the extremity; as, a terminal edge.
(Bot.) Growing at the end of a branch or stem; terminating; as, a terminal bud, flower, or spike.
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(Railroads) Pertaining to a railroad terminal; connected with the receipt or delivery of freight; as, terminal charges. Terminal moraine. See the Note under Moraine. Terminal statue. See Terminus, n., 2 and 3. Terminal velocity.
The velocity acquired at the end of a body's motion.
The limit toward which the velocity of a body approaches, as of a body falling through the air.
Wiktionary
n. The speed at which an object in free-fall and not in a vacuum ceases to accelerate downwards because the force of gravity is equal and opposite to the drag force acting against it.
WordNet
n. the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling through the atmosphere under the attraction of gravity
Wikipedia
Terminal velocity is the highest velocity attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example, but the concept applies equally to any fluid). It occurs when the sum of the drag force (F) and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity (F) acting on the object. Since the net force on the object is zero, the object has zero acceleration.
In fluid dynamics, an object is moving at its terminal velocity if its speed is constant due to the restraining force exerted by the fluid through which it is moving.
As the speed of an object increases, so does the the drag force acting on it, which also depends on the substance it is passing through (for example air or water). At some speed, the drag or force of resistance will equal the gravitational pull on the object (buoyancy is considered below). At this point the object ceases to accelerate and continues falling at a constant speed called the terminal velocity (also called settling velocity). An object moving downward faster than the terminal velocity (for example because it was thrown downwards, it fell from a thinner part of the atmosphere, or it changed shape) will slow down until it reaches the terminal velocity. Drag depends on the projected area, here the object's cross-section or silhouette in a horizontal plane: an object with a large projected area relative to its mass, such as a parachute, has a lower terminal velocity than one with a small projected area relative to its mass, such as a bullet.
Terminal velocity is the speed at which an object falling through an atmosphere ceases to accelerate.
Terminal velocity may also refer to:
- Terminal Velocity (film), a 1994 film starring Charlie Sheen
- Terminal Velocity (video game), a flight action shooter game
- Terminal Velocity (novel), a novel by Blanche McCrary Boyd
Terminal Velocity is a simulation video game originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by 3D Realms for MS-DOS and Windows 95 and MacSoft for Mac OS. It is an arcade-style flight combat game, with simpler game controls and physics than flight simulators. It is known for its fast, high-energy action sequences, compared to flight simulators of the time.
Terminal Reality also developed a similar game, Fury3, published that same year by Microsoft. It used the same game engine and basic game mechanics, but was designed to run natively on the new Windows 95 operating system. Though considered to add little to the gameplay of Terminal Velocity, Fury3 spawned an add-on pack, F!Zone, as well as a sequel, Hellbender.
In 2015, co-founder of Terminal Reality, the game's original developer Mark Randel, released a version for Android & iOS , it was published by Trebuchet Entertainment LLC.
Terminal Velocity is a 1994 action film starring Charlie Sheen as a daredevil skydiver and Nastassja Kinski as a tough KGB spy who team up to stop renegade spies who are trying to steal gold. It was written by David Twohy and directed by Deran Sarafian. The film co-stars James Gandolfini and Christopher McDonald.
Originally, Sheen's role was written for Tom Cruise, although Michael Douglas and William Baldwin were also considered. The script itself sold for US $500,000. The musical score was composed by Joel McNeely.
Usage examples of "terminal velocity".
By setting the drive down to 42,500 gravities, time to burnout can be extended to 180 seconds, producing a maximum powered engagement range of 6,755,000 kilometers and a terminal velocity of 75,000 KPS.
At this acceleration rate, the missile has a maximum powered endurance of sixty seconds, which restricts it to a powered engagement envelope (assuming target and firer were at rest relative to one another at the moment of fire) of approximately 1,500,000 kilometers and a terminal velocity of approximately 50,000 KPS.
At three minutes, more than ten million kilometers from launch and with a terminal velocity of just over ninety-three thousand KPS, its impeller drive burned out and it went ballistic, overhauling its target on momentum alone.
Their drives had burned out three minutes and twelve-point-three million kilometers after launch, at a terminal velocity of almost a hundred and six thousand KPS.
It could have accelerated twice as fast, but reducing its acceleration to 42,500 g raised its small impellers burnout time from one minute to three, which not only gave it three times the maneuvering time but increased its terminal velocity from rest by almost fifty percent.
At three minutes, more than ten million kilometers from launch and with a terminal velocity of just over ninetythree thousand KPS, its impeller drive burned out and it went ballistic, overhauling its target on momentum alone.
But though the awful fire at its tip was extinguished, it was still traveling at its terminal velocity of ninety-nine point nine nine percent of the speed of light.
At that acceleration, they would have made the crossing in barely a hundred and eighteen seconds and come in with a terminal velocity of over 110,000 KPS .
Or we can drop the drives' power settings to forty-six thousand gees and get five times the endurance, and a maximum powered missile envelope of over sixty-five million klicks with a terminal velocity of point-eight-one light-speed.
At that acceleration, they would have made the crossing in barely a hundred and eighteen seconds and come in with a terminal velocity of over 110,000 KPS .
Which meant they had a powered envelope from rest of approximately 667,000 kilometers and a terminal velocity from rest of 7,560 KPS.
They hit the ground at terminal velocity and burst apart in silent explosions of shattered crates and mangled equipment.
The pilot was slowly, cautiously wearing out his terminal velocity, dissipating the incredible kinetic energy as shock wave and radiant heat.