Assessment and Qualifications Alliance (AQA) GCSE Physics Practice Exam

Air resistance is the force that opposes the motion of an object moving through the air. When an object travels through the atmosphere, it encounters molecules in the air that create drag. This drag force works against the direction of the object's movement, thereby slowing it down.

This phenomenon is particularly evident with objects that move at high speeds or have large surface areas, such as cars or parachutes. Air resistance increases with speed and is influenced by the shape of the object; streamlined shapes tend to experience less air resistance compared to shapes with larger surface areas.

In contrast to air resistance, friction typically refers to the force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact, such as a box sliding across a floor. Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward the Earth, while weight is a measure of the force of gravity acting on an object. Neither of these forces specifically addresses the interaction with air during motion. Therefore, air resistance is correctly identified as the opposing force during movement through the air.