Parachute Investigation

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Parachute Investigation

Aim

The aim of the experiment is to investigate how each of several different weights of varying mass attached to a parachute in turn can influence the gravitational pull and air resistance forces acting on it, consequently affecting the time it takes to reach the ground when dropped from a specific height.

Preliminary Work

Forces are measured in Newtons (N), named after Isaac Newton who invented this unit. We cannot see them but instead we can see their effects on objects, so forces are described in terms of what they do. They can cause objects to turn, change speed, direction or shape.

         The forces acting on a falling parachute are gravity and air resistance and these are the two forces which affect the speed at which the parachute falls.

Air resistance (also called drag) is when air molecules collide with an object’s leading surface. This is the opposite force to gravity, and can slow falling objects down.

The actual amount of air resistance encountered by the

object depends on a variety of factors. The two most common factors which have a direct effect upon the amount of air resistance are:

-        the speed of the object

-        the cross-sectional area of the object

Increased speeds and increased cross-sectional areas result in an increased amount of air resistance.

Gravity is what causes objects to fall downwards. If there was no air resistance, all falling objects would accelerate at 10m/s/s (10m/s²) because there would be no other force to change the speed.  

Acceleration is the rate at which the velocity of an object changes over a period of time. It is measured in m/s², and it tells you how much the velocity will change each second. When air resistance is present, objects with different mass accelerate at different speeds.

Parachutes, as used in this investigation, are effective because they have a very large surface area compared to the weight attached and so have a lot of air resistance acting on them to counteract the downward pull of gravity on the weight.      

Pre-test

Before the actual experiment, a pre-test was carried out to ensure accuracy and that all the correct factors will be used for the final experiment.

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These are the 5 weights which will be used:

        ½ oz   (14.1g)

        1 oz   (28.4g)

        1 ½ oz   (42.6g)

        2 oz   (56.8g)

        2 ½ oz   (71.0g)

The parachute was dropped every time from a height of about 7ft. Each of the 5 weights was dropped 3 times and the results added together to give the overall average falling time for the weight.

Pre-test Results Table

For the actual experiment I am going to drop the parachute from a higher height than that which was used for the pre-test because ...

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