If the airspeed of an aircraft in level flight is cut in half, parasite drag will become what fraction of its original amount?

Parasite drag is directly related to the square of the airspeed. This means that if the airspeed decreases, the effect on parasite drag is determined by squaring the change in speed.

When the airspeed is cut in half, the new airspeed is ( V/2 ). To analyze the effect on drag, we substitute this into the drag equation, which includes airspeed squared:

1. The original drag at speed ( V ) is proportional to ( V^2 ).

2. When the speed is reduced to ( V/2 ), the new drag becomes:

[

Drag_{new} \propto \left(\frac{V}{2}\right)^2 = \frac{V^2}{4}

]

This shows that the new drag is one-fourth of the original drag, confirming that when the airspeed is halved, parasite drag becomes a quarter of its original amount. Thus, the correct response highlights the relationship between airspeed and drag effectively.