What happens to the acceleration of an object in free fall as it approaches terminal velocity?

In the context of an object in free fall, as it accelerates downwards under the influence of gravity, it initially experiences an increase in velocity. However, as the object falls, it encounters air resistance, which acts against the force of gravity. As the object's speed increases, the air resistance also increases until it becomes equal to the gravitational force acting on the object.

When this balance between gravitational force and air resistance occurs, the net force acting on the object becomes zero. Since acceleration is linked to net force through Newton's second law (F = ma), when the net force is zero, the acceleration also becomes zero.

Therefore, as the object approaches terminal velocity, the acceleration decreases and eventually stabilizes at zero. This means that at terminal velocity, the object continues to fall at a constant speed without any further acceleration. Thus, the correct understanding is that the acceleration decreases until it stabilizes at zero as the object reaches terminal velocity.