Why does rain hurt when it hits you during a sky diving free fall
Everything falls at the same rate, yes, but there's air resistance. It's why a feather and a pencil don't fall at the same rate, unless they're in a vacuum. My lay-theory is that the water droplets are encountering more air resistance than you are, being kicked around easily by high altitude wind…
The Short Answer
Everything falls at the same rate, yes, but there's air resistance. It's why a feather and a pencil don't fall at the same rate, unless they're in a vacuum. My lay-theory is that the water droplets are encountering more air resistance than you are, being kicked around easily by high altitude winds and generally kept from themselves achieving terminal velocity (think about it: how much would terminal velocity rain *hurt* to those on the ground?). When you the skydiver fall through the rain, you're travelling at about 120 mph, and the rain is travelling significantly less than that. The slower the speed of the rain, the greater the difference between your two speeds, the faster it feels like it's hitting you in the face. Again, not a physics guy, but it seems reasonable enough.
Analysis
Key Concepts: Rain, rate, resistance
This explanation focuses on rain, rate, resistance and spans 133 words across 6 sentences. At 87% above the average Nature explanation (71 words), this is one of the more thorough answers in this category, reflecting the complexity of the underlying question.
What This Answer Covers
The explanation opens with: “Everything falls at the same rate, yes, but there's air resistance.” It then elaborates by presenting a contrasting perspective, ultimately building toward a complete picture across 6 connected points.
How This Compares in Nature
Ranked #54 of 500 Nature questions by answer depth (top 12%). This places it in the comprehensive tier — the top quarter of most thoroughly answered questions. Questions at this depth typically involve multi-faceted topics requiring nuanced explanation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a simple explanation for why rain hurt when it hits you during a sky diving free fall?
Everything falls at the same rate, yes, but there's air resistance. It's why a feather and a pencil don't fall at the same rate, unless they're in a vacuum. My lay-theory is that the water droplets are encountering more air resistance than you are,…
How detailed is this explanation compared to similar Nature questions?
This is one of the most thorough answer at 133 words, ranked #54 of 500 Nature questions by depth. The key concepts covered are rain, rate, resistance.
What approach does this answer take to explain rain hurt when it hits you during a sky diving free fall?
The explanation uses root cause analysis and contrasting perspectives across 133 words. It is categorized under Nature and addresses the question through 2 analytical lenses.