Year 6 carried out an investigation to observe exactly how air resistance slows down a moving object.
We have discovered that objects which move through the air experience the force of friction. This is called air resistance. Air resistance acts against gravity on falling objects making them slow down as they fall.
Parachutes are used to slow down the speed of the person or object suspended from the parachute. The parachute is affected by gravity and air resistance.
With this in mind, we got to work making a variety of parachutes. Using different materials cut to different sizes we worked enthusiastically to create a range of different parachutes. When the devising process was complete we headed outside to put the theories to the test.
Equipped with stopwatches, recording sheets and our parachutes we dropped them from a specified height and clocked how long it took them to reach the ground.
After testing we analysed our results. We were able to confirm that the parachute that had the greatest surface area and which was made using the lightest material, was the parachute that had the slowest falling time. Air resistance helped it make a steady landing to the ground.
