What term describes the resistance encountered when an object falls through the atmosphere?

The term that describes the resistance encountered when an object falls through the atmosphere is drag. Drag is a force that opposes the motion of an object through a fluid, which in this case is air. It occurs due to the interaction between the surface of the object and the particles of the fluid as the object moves through it.

When an object falls, it accelerates downward due to gravity. As its speed increases, the drag force also increases until it balances the gravitational force, at which point the object reaches terminal velocity and falls at a constant speed. Understanding drag is essential in physics, especially in topics related to fluid dynamics and motion through mediums like air and water.

Other terms mentioned, such as inertia, refer to an object's resistance to changes in its state of motion, which does not specifically pertain to the resistance experienced while moving through a fluid. Friction, on the other hand, involves surface contact and is relevant in solid interactions, while lift pertains to the force that acts on an object in a fluid, usually associated with the upward force on wings of an airplane. Thus, drag is the most relevant term in the context of resistance in atmospheric conditions.