The time elapsed since a drop of water leaves the cloud and falls to the ground is conditioned by so many factors that it is almost impossible to predict it accurately. Assuming an ideal scenario in which the drop is perfectly spherical and non-deformable, that there is no wind so that the path of the fall is perpendicular to the ground and that the speed is constant, two forces act on the drop: its own weight and the resistance to the drop. advance opposing atmosphere.
Newton proposed an empirical formula that, taking into account these data, calculates the rate of fall and, therefore, the time it takes for the drop to descend from a certain height. As an example, and assuming the above conditions, a drop of 5 mm in diameter that falls from a cloud at 1,800 meters of altitude takes about 4.5 minutes to reach the surface.
