Variables:
- Independent: The independent variable is the diameter of the paper cone’s base.
- Dependant: The time will be measured to see how long does it take the paper cone to land on the floor. For this measurement we are going to use a stopwatch and the time measured is going to depend on our reaction time.
- Controlled: The mass of the paper cone and also the height from which we are going to drop the paper cone are constant. The acceleration due to gravity will be assumed to remain constant around 9.81 ms-2 because we will perform the experiment in the same room.
Research question (aim):
To investigate how the diameter of the paper cone's base will affect the time to land on the floor from the same height and find a mathematical explanation for it.
Procedure:
The aim is to find a connection between the time measured and the diameter of the paper cones. The step we took are the following ones:
Gather all necessary equipment (see 'Apparatus' section)
Cut out five identical circles.
The circle is divided into 36 sections, which means that each section is 10 degrees.
Use glue to create paper cones but dont cut out any sections, because that way the mass is going to change
For the first circle stick three sections together and for the others, each time increase the number of sections sticked together by three.
Hold the paper cones ________ cm from the floor.
Let the paper cone fall.
Measure the time between the falling and the landing with the help of the stopwatch.
Repeat the same procedure three times for each of the paper cones.
Take an average of the results.
Apparatus:
Stopwatch
Glue
Scissors
Five paper cones
Mass-hook (holder)
Ruler with millimeter divisions
Results:
Distance between the ground and the height from which the cone is dropped each time: ______cm
Uncertainty: as using a ruler, the height may vary from the recorded one as we could not measure it