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You asked:
How do parachutes work? — Jack, Milton, W. Va.
Marshall answered:
Old-style round parachutes use the idea of drag to slow down the parachutist. Without a parachute, a skydiver will fall through the air at about 125 mph. The round parachute increases the surface area, and therefore the drag, by a factor of 100 or more. This reduces the speed to 15 mph or so.
A modern rectangular parachute unfolds and inflates into the shape of an airplane wing. Instead of falling straight down, the skydiver is now gliding through the air underneath this wing. The glide ratio is about 4:1 (four feet forward for every one foot down). It provides a lot of control and very gentle landings. For more information, see How Skydiving Works.
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