Free Fall and Friction

NAME OF STUDENT/GROUP

11/8/10

Lab Report

What a Drag

Introduction: In this lab, the class was experimenting with the ratio

between air resistance and weight. We used coffee filters to determine

whether two stacked filters would fall from two meters as fast as a single

filter being dropped from one meter. This means that air resistance is

directly proportional to weight. The other possibility is that air resistance is

equal to weight squared. To test the second option, one would drop two

stacked filters from 141cm, and one filter from 100cm. My hypothesis is

that air resistance is proportional to weight.

Materials:

3 coffee filters

2 meter sticks

Methods:

1) Use the two meter sticks to measure out two meters vertically.

2) Drop two stacked coffee filters from two meters, and one individual filter

from one meter at the same time.

3) Determine which hit the ground first, or if they hit simultaneously.

-If they don't hit simultaneously, then that means that air resistance is not

proportional to weight. If they didn't hit at the same time, move on to step

4.

4) Drop two stacked filters from 141cm, and one filter from one meter.

5) Repeat 3.

-If they hit simultaneously, then that means that air resistance is

proportional to weight squared. If they didn't hit at the