3-2-1 Plunge!
How Weight Affects the Falling Time of a Parachute
Mr. Zavala
7th Grade, Room 201
October 23, 2011
Purpose
The purpose of the experiment is to see how weight affects the falling time of a parachute when
dropped form a controlled height.
Hypothesis
When the weight attached to the bottom of a parachute increases, I think that the heavier
weight will make the parachute fall faster because a greater mass will increase the force pushing down
on the parachute. When there is a greater force, this will make the parachute fall faster to the ground.
Force = Mass * Acceleration
Force= 1g * 9.8m/s2 = 1g/9.8m/s2=0.102N
Force= 2g * 9.8m/s2 = 2g/9.8m/s2=0. 204N
Force= 3g * 9.8m/s2 = 3g/9.8m/s2=0.306
Materials
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Fabric
Scissors
String
3 Washers
Meter stick
Stopwatch
Tape
Paper clip
Procedure
1. Cut a piece of fabric 30cm x 30cm square.
2. Cut four pieces of sting 15cm long.
3. Make four holes in the corners of the parachute. Secure the four pieces of string with tape at
each corner.
4. Gather the four strings at the bottom and tie them in a knot to a paper clip.
5. Measure 3 meters high against a wall. Make a mark with a piece of tape. This will be the drop
height for the parachutes.
6. Starting with the parachute (control), drop the parachute. Record the time it takes for the
parachute to reach the ground.
7. Complete five trials; then find the average.
8. Add one washer at a time and repeat Steps 6-7.
Results
Time for a Various Parachutes to Fall (Seconds)
Parachute
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average
1.6
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.6
1.42
1 washer
1.5
1.1
1.2
1.0
.98
1.16
2 washers
.97
.8
1.0
.88
.9
.91
3 washers
.75
.79
.7
.66
.65
.71
0 washers
(control)
Conclusion
In this experiment, my hypothesis was supported. This is because as the weight of the washers
increased the time it took for the parachute to fall decreased.
My hypothesis is supported from the following data. My control, which had 0 washers, had an
average fall time of 1.42 seconds over five trials. When I added one washer, the average drop time fell
to an average of 1.16 seconds, or 0.26 seconds faster. When two washers were added to the control,
the average time to drop three meters was 0.91 seconds, or 0.51 seconds faster than the control, or
0.25 seconds faster than 1 washer. And lastly, the parachute with the most weight (3 washers) went the
fastest at an average of 0.71 seconds. This was 0.71 seconds faster than the control! This means that
increasing the weight on a parachute decreases the time it takes to fall.
I learned a lot from this experiment. Newton’s second law of motion states that
Force = Mass * Acceleration. Since gravity stayed constant in this experiment, the only thing that
changed was the mass of the washers added to the parachute. This means that as the mass increased,
the force acting upon the parachutes would also increase. This explains why heavier parachutes fall
faster than lighter parachutes. This also relates to people who go skydiving. I am assuming that people
who have more mass are going to have to pull their release string faster than people with less mass
since they are going to be falling to the earth faster.
If I were to do this again, I would actually try to find out if a relationship exists between drop
height and mass. For example, at what height would I have to drop a parachute with 3 washers on it to
have the same exact landing time as the control? I got this idea from wanting to skydive. Since I have
less mass than my friend, but would want to land on the ground at the same time as her, what heights
would we each have to be dropped from to experience our landing time together? I am also curious
how the design of the parachute affects how comfortable the descent is. For example, I noticed that the
parachutes wobbled back and forth as they were dropped. I wonder how I can make the descent more
enjoyable.
Photos