Scribd
Upload
55 views

Air Resistance Science Experiment

This experiment aimed to determine whether the surface area of an object affects the time it takes to fall due to differences in air resistance. It was hypothesized that objects of the same mass but different surface areas would fall at different rates. Various objects were dropped from a fixed height and their fall times were recorded over three trials and averaged. The results showed that the object with the smallest surface area, a paper ball, had the fastest average fall time of 0.93 seconds, while the object with the largest surface area, a pipe cleaner ball, was slowest at 0.9034 seconds. Therefore, the hypothesis that objects with larger surface areas experience greater air resistance and fall more slowly was supported.

Uploaded by

ryanfeather2007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
55 views

Air Resistance Science Experiment

This experiment aimed to determine whether the surface area of an object affects the time it takes to fall due to differences in air resistance. It was hypothesized that objects of the same mass but different surface areas would fall at different rates. Various objects were dropped from a fixed height and their fall times were recorded over three trials and averaged. The results showed that the object with the smallest surface area, a paper ball, had the fastest average fall time of 0.93 seconds, while the object with the largest surface area, a pipe cleaner ball, was slowest at 0.9034 seconds. Therefore, the hypothesis that objects with larger surface areas experience greater air resistance and fall more slowly was supported.

Uploaded by

ryanfeather2007
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Air resistance and gravity experiment

Aim - The aim of this experiment is to see whether the size or surface area of an object affects the time it takes
for an object to reach the ground. This experiment will focus on the surface area of shapes while keeping other
variables, such as weight, height, and force, the same. This measures the effect air resistance and surface area
have on objects falling to the ground.

Hypothesis - If objects of the same mass have different surface areas, they will fall under gravity at a different
rate because of the differences in air resistance caused by the surface area.

Research -

Air resistance is a force that slows down objects moving through the air. Air resistance happens when an
object moving through the air collides with the air molecules. Two main factors affect the amount of air
resistance. One is the speed of the object and the other is its cross-sectional area. When an object moves
faster or has a larger surface facing the oncoming air, it experiences more air resistance. This means, the faster
an object moves or the bigger it is, the more it gets slowed down by the air. Researching this has helped make
an educated guess about what will happen

Materials:

1. Stopwatch or timer
2. Objects of varying sizes (same weight if possible) (That will be dropped from a specific height)
3. Balconing or way to keep the height variable the same
4. Measuring tape or ruler
5. Safety goggles
6. Report for recording observations

Procedure:

1. Find the place (such as a balconing) to use to conduct the experiment


2. Gather objects of different sizes but making sure they have the same weight.
3. Measure the dimensions (length and width) of each object using a measuring tape or ruler and
record the measurements.
4. Select a fixed height from which all objects will be dropped. Ensure consistent and accurate
measurement of this height.
5. Put on safety goggles during the experiment.
6. Start the stopwatch or timer just as you release the first object from 15 feet.
7. Record the time it takes for the object to hit the ground accurately.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each object, ensuring consistent release methods and measuring
techniques.
9. Do this 3 times, and record all results
10. Analyse the data obtained from the experiments.
11. Come up with a conclusion

Safety

1. Wear safety goggles during the experiment to keep eyes safe.


2. Find a safe place to do the experiment
3. Be careful and don’t unintentionally drop things off high platforms.
Results records (Units - seconds)
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average
Object 1 0.80 0.84 0.83 0.8234
(Weight)
Object 2 0.95 0.86 0.90 0.9034
(Pipe cleaner
ball)
Object 3 0.93 0.93 0.93 0.93
(Paper ball)

Objects fall time to the ground (Seconds)

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Average

0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9 0.95 1

Object 3 Object 2 Object 1

Conclusion
The hypothesis was right because the data showed that all three objects had different averages, and therefore
different rates of fall. On conclusion that was shown from this experiment was that objects with the smallest
surface area fell faster than objects with larger surface area. It was shown that if the size and surface area of
an object vary, when the object is dropped from a height, the time it takes for the object to hit the ground will
differ. This is because objects with larger surface areas experience greater air resistance, which causes them to
fall more slowly than objects with smaller surface areas.
References
Universe Today. (n.d.). What is Air Resistance? Universe Today. Retrieved from
https://www.universetoday.com/73315/what-is-air-resistance/

The Physics Classroom. (n.d.). Free Fall and Air Resistance. The Physics Classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Free-Fall-and-Air-Resistance

STEM Learning. (n.d.). Forces and Air Resistance. STEM Learning. Retrieved from
https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/33451/forces-and-air-resistance

Benson, T. (2019). Falling Object with Air Resistance. Nasa.gov; NASA. https://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-
12/VirtualAero/BottleRocket/airplane/falling.html

Danger! Falling Objects: Crash Course Kids #32.1. (2015, October 21). Danger! Falling Objects: Crash Course
Kids #32.1. YouTube. https://youtu.be/dxcx35x5L9Y

You might also like