How does the mass of the paper helicopter affect the drop time of the paper helicopter?

This essay hasn't yet been marked by one of our teachers

You can view 1 essay on Physics that have been Marked by Teachers

The first 200 words of this essay...

Physics Internal Assessment

How does the mass of the paper helicopter affect the drop time of the paper helicopter?

Nhi Le

P. 6

Design:

Problem: How does the mass of the paper helicopter affect the drop time of the paper helicopter?

Hypothesis: If the mass of the paper helicopter increases, then the drop time of the paper helicopter will decrease because the paper helicopter with the greater mass will take a longer time to reach terminal velocity ( when there is a balance of forces and thus zero acceleration) which results in a shorter drop time because the object is still accelerating.

Manipulated Variable: The mass of the paper helicopter

The mass of the paper helicopter will be measured by using 5 paperclips of each .7g (±.1g) and the same paper helicopter whose mass is .3g (±.1g) each time. The mass of the paperclips and paper helicopter will be measured with an electric scale whose uncertainty is (±.1g).

Responding Variable: The drop time of the paper helicopter

The drop time will be measured with a stopwatch (±.01s). The timing will start when the hand lets go of