Parachutes
Students will learn about the force of gravity and air resistance by making a parachute out of simple materials.
What You Need
Materials per student
- Tissue paper
- String (1 metre)
- Small paper cup
- Paper clip
- Scissors
- Tape
Guide:
Safety Notes
Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe virtual outreach to youth.
What To Do
To make the parachute, each student will:
- Cut an approximately 30 cm by 30 cm square out of the tissue paper.
- Cut the piece of string in four pieces that are the same length (approximately 25 cm each).
- Tape one end of the string to a corner of the tissue paper. Repeat this step for all four corners.
- Tape the other end of the string to the cup. Repeat this for all four pieces of string and make sure they are taped evenly across the cup. Make sure none of the strings are tangled. This is the parachute!
- Place the paper clip in the cup.
Have students hold their parachute as high as possible and let it go. What happens? Note: They can put their hand underneath the tissue paper as it drops to make it spread open.
Discovery
The force or pull of gravity is always at work. When the tissue paper parachute is dropped, gravity pulls the cup and parachute to the ground. The tissue paper spreads out and has a lot of space (surface area) for air to push on it. This is called air resistance or drag, and it slows the fall of the cup to the ground.
Once the students have dropped their parachute a few times, they can do some experimenting to see if the following things affect how fast the cup falls to the floor.
- Make the parachute 1/2 the size.
- Poke a few small holes in your parachute.
- Cut the parachute into a different shape.
- Try making the parachute with a different material - such as a plastic bag, a piece of notebook paper, cardboard, etc.
- Put heavier or lighter objects in the cup and see how much your parachute can support without falling too quickly.
What's Happening?
The force or pull of gravity is always at work. When the tissue paper parachute is dropped, gravity pulls the cup and parachute to the ground. The tissue paper spreads out and has a lot of space (surface area) for air to push on it. This is called air resistance or drag, and it slows the fall of the cup to the ground.
Investigate Further
Once the students have dropped their parachute a few times, they can do some experimenting to see if the following things affect how fast the cup falls to the floor.
- Make the parachute 1/2 the size.
- Poke a few small holes in your parachute.
- Cut the parachute into a different shape.
- Try making the parachute with a different material - such as a plastic bag, a piece of notebook paper, cardboard, etc.
- Put heavier or lighter objects in the cup and see how much your parachute can support without falling too quickly.