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Sunday, April 1, 2012

Parachutes!


PARACHUTE RACE LAB
To try this simple and fun lab...
Ask your students to bring in one plastic shopping bag and one penny for homework.

Purpose of the Lab:
To see if the size of the parachute affects the time it takes for the parachute to fall.

Lab Materials:
*penny
*string
*plastic bag
*marker
*ruler
*scissors
*tape
*timer

Procedures:
PART I:
Pairs of students will create two parachutes (1 large & 1 small).


PART II:
Test the parachutes, recording the data in the table and calculating the averages.


PART III:
Complete the analysis and conclusion.


I have done this lab about 15 times (thanks to block scheduling!) and each group of students have enjoyed it every time.  It is a good lab to practice following lab procedures, working collaboratively with a partner, and recording/analyzing data.  Finding the average of the drops to allow you to compare is a good math connection.

Disclaimer:  I warn you to do the "parachute drops" (PART II) inside rather than outside.  I have tried and tried again to have the students drop the parachutes outside, but every. single. time. I've tried, the wind (even a slight breeze) has affected the results.

3 comments:

Emmy de Greslan said...

Ohhhh fun experiment!!

I'm a new follower x
Daydreams of a Student Teacher

Simply Me said...

This looks great! Have you found the lab report yet? I sooo understand! :)

Megan, TN said...

You found the lab report? This would be excellent to use in my math class. Please post it if you can find it. Thanks!

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