Aim

The aim of this investigation was to find out how the weight attached to a parachute affected the
landing time.

Prediction

The heavier the weight attached to a parachute, the shorter the landing time.

Hypothesis

To calculate the initial acceleration of the object (which is the weights + the parachute) I have to list
out the different forces applied to the weight first.
1. Gravity (It’s negative, because it has a downward direction)
2. Air Resistance
*the parachute weights almost nothing, so it won’t be included in the calculations

Since F=MA, F(gravity)=M *9.8

Although the surface area increases whenever I add one more weight onto it, the shape is still very
not aerodynamic, therefore the air resistance should be roughly the same. Also, due to limitations, I
cannot drop the parachute high enough for the air resistance to make a noticeable difference. So, I’ll
call the air resistance R, which would be a constant.

I have to calculate the net force first:

F(net)=Air resistance - Gravity
=R - 9.8M
Since the air resistance is not big enough to cancel the gravity force, the net force would be a
negative number, which I would call F(net).

Since F=MA, F(net)=M*A

A=F(net)/M
Because F(net) is a negative number, the bigger M is, the smaller F(net)/M is. Since F(net) is a
negative number, the smaller
F(net)/M is, the greater the downward acceleration, making the landing time shorter.

As time change, the velocity of the object changes, and therefore the air resistance increases. But if
an object have a greater mass, it would achieve a greater velocity when it reached the terminal
velocity (which would not happen in this experiment since the height is not high enough).

That is why I think that the heavier the weight attached to the parachute is, the shorter the landing
time.
Method

Equipment list Variables (independent, dependent, and control variables)

Rubbish Bag, meter ruler x2, stationaries, 30cm strings x4 , 100g weight x5 and a weight holder
independent Variable Dependent Variable Control Variables

The weight attached to the The landing time The size and shape of the
parachute parachute, height of
dropping parachute, wind
speed and direction

Fair test Procedure

1. Cut the garbage bag and make it flat.
2. Draw a 50cm^2 square on the garbage bag and cut it out Step 2
3. Poke 4 holes in the four corners with something sharp
4. Tie one end of a string (30 cm)to each hole poked
5. Tie the four strings to the weight holder, and now the
parachute is made
6. Add a 100g weight to the weight holder
7. Drop it vertically to the ground at the height of 2m and
time the landing time (you might want to stand on a chair)
8. Repeat step 7 for 3 times
9. Go back to step 6 until you finished step 8 with 500g of
weight attached.
Step 7
Step 6

Safety
()*)+%,&"'
Beware of Falling off the chair -.+/01'

2&*#3$4'56.+/7'

!"#$%&'
Results

Table

Landing Time

1st Trial 2nd Trial 3rd Trial Average

100g 1.37 1.38 1.47 1.40666667

200g 1.24 1.18 1.15 1.19

300g 0.94 0.94 1.00 0.96

400g 0.84 0.78 0.81 0.81

500g 0.62 0.78 0.81 0.73666667

Graph
The Relationship between the weight attached to the parachute and the landing time
1.5

1.2
Landing Time (s)

0.9

0.6

0.3

0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Weight Attached (100g)

Use the result data to describe the results. What was the relationship between the independent
variable and dependent variable? (positive, negative, or no relationship)
Compare the result data. Explain the results by using the theory within the hypothesis.

The results matched with my prediction. The relationship between the weight attached to the
parachute and the landing has a negative relationship with each other. I think that my results fitted
my predication, because of my calculations in the hypothesis. The greater the mass is , the quicker
the acceleration, which applies to this case. As the weight increases, the acceleration increases,
therefore the landing time is shortened.
Conclusions
The results matched my original prediction very well and is very consistent with my prediction. The
results collected from different trials matched each other quite well. To summarize, the greater the
weight attached to the parachute is, the shorter the landing time.

Evaluation
In general, I would consider my experiment as pretty successful. But there were some limitation,
preventing me from collecting more precise datas.

Possible sources of error:

•Cannot record a more precise landing time since it’s timed by human
•The Strings tangled up after some trials
•The dropping point isn’t exactly 2m

Limitations:

•For some reasons, I cannot drop the parachute from a higher height
•Human do not have perfect accuracy for timing
•The place where I dropped the parachute isn’t exactly the same since it is done by human

How to reduce possible errors:

•Record each trial, and find out the landing time in slow motion
•Untangled the strings for each trial (if possible)
•Do 2 more trials

If I had time, I would do research and experiment about the relationship between:

•Parachute size and landing time

•Shape of Parachute and landing time
•length of the strings attached to the parachute and landing time

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_fall
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-terminal-velocity.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_velocity