Parachute Experiment
Parachute Experiment Aim: To investigate the effect of surface area on a performance (more the amount of a parachute better the performance) of a parachute. Hypothesis- More the amount of holes in a parachute, faster the rate of the fall.
Variables: Dependent variable- The time it takes for the parachute to reach the ground. Control variables:Mass > Adding or subtracting mass from the load. > Clay can be molded around the load to increase mass. > Parts of the load can be cut off to decrease the mass. > After a point of time the rate of the parachute falling down will stay the same. Surface area > Surface area can be decreased by poking holes on the dome of the parachute. > This may affect the air resistance that is keeping the parachute in the air. Force > The force at which we throw/release the parachute can affect the rate of the fall.
Apparatus Material Parachute Load Stopwatch Pen (to poke holes) Quantity 1 1 1 1
Method: > Tie the load to the parachute. > Release the Parachute from a height (above the canteen) > Start off with no holes and do three trials. > Add two holes after the first three trials. > Carry on with the experiment by adding two holes after every three trials. > Stop when twelve holes are done. Data Table: This table shows the data of the time it takes for the parachute to reach the ground along with the number of holes. No. of holes 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Trial 1/s 3.21 2.74 3.15 4.44 2.31 6.00 3.50 Trial 2/s 4.07 3.13 4.72 4.08 2.70 3.00 3.56 Trial 3/s 4.74 4.44 3.50 3.24 2.50 4.19 5.00 Average/s 4.01 3.44 3.89 3.92 2.50 4.40 4.02
Conclusion There is a small relationship that is seen in the graph, at first the time remains constant then rises up when there are about ten holes then comes down when there are twelve holes. Then after twelve holes, my prediction is that the time will remain approximately constant. There is no quantitative relationship in my graph because the results which I got were somewhat anomalous.
Variables: Dependent variable- The time it takes for the parachute to reach the ground. Control variables:Mass > Adding or subtracting mass from the load. > Clay can be molded around the load to increase mass. > Parts of the load can be cut off to decrease the mass. > After a point of time the rate of the parachute falling down will stay the same. Surface area > Surface area can be decreased by poking holes on the dome of the parachute. > This may affect the air resistance that is keeping the parachute in the air. Force > The force at which we throw/release the parachute can affect the rate of the fall.
Apparatus Material Parachute Load Stopwatch Pen (to poke holes) Quantity 1 1 1 1
Method: > Tie the load to the parachute. > Release the Parachute from a height (above the canteen) > Start off with no holes and do three trials. > Add two holes after the first three trials. > Carry on with the experiment by adding two holes after every three trials. > Stop when twelve holes are done. Data Table: This table shows the data of the time it takes for the parachute to reach the ground along with the number of holes. No. of holes 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Trial 1/s 3.21 2.74 3.15 4.44 2.31 6.00 3.50 Trial 2/s 4.07 3.13 4.72 4.08 2.70 3.00 3.56 Trial 3/s 4.74 4.44 3.50 3.24 2.50 4.19 5.00 Average/s 4.01 3.44 3.89 3.92 2.50 4.40 4.02
Conclusion There is a small relationship that is seen in the graph, at first the time remains constant then rises up when there are about ten holes then comes down when there are twelve holes. Then after twelve holes, my prediction is that the time will remain approximately constant. There is no quantitative relationship in my graph because the results which I got were somewhat anomalous.