What effect does air resistance have on a falling object?

Air resistance is a force that opposes the motion of an object as it moves through the air. When an object falls, it experiences two main forces: the force of gravity pulling it downward and air resistance acting upward.

The presence of air resistance results in a net force that is less than the gravitational force alone. As the object falls, air resistance increases with the object's speed until it reaches a point where the force of air resistance equals the force of gravity. This condition is known as terminal velocity. At this point, the object stops accelerating and continues to fall at a constant speed.

Thus, the effect of air resistance on a falling object is that it slows down the rate of descent, allowing the object to eventually stabilize at terminal velocity. This is essential in understanding the dynamics of falling objects in a real-world scenario where air provides resistance, contrasting with a vacuum where no air resistance would be present.

In summary, air resistance slows down a falling object, making option B the correct answer.