Raven Harris

Mrs. Hawkins

Honors Biology - Period 4

7 February 2017

Independent variable: Size of parachute, and weight of object.

Dependent Variable: Time it takes for object to land.

Hypothesis:

If the size of the parachute is larger, then the object, no matter what size, will take the longest

time to land because the parachute will gain more air inside of it to slow down it’s speed.

Materials:

● 3 different size “parachutes” (blankets, t-shirts and/or towels.)

● A 5 lb weight

● A 10 lb weight

● A 15 lb weight

● A tall place where you can drop the objects (about 20ft off the ground)

● A timer

● String

Procedures:

1) Gather materials

2) Safely get on top of your roof, or high place with your materials

3) With your string, tie the 4 corners of the largest “parachute” onto the smallest object.

4) When the object is dropped, make sure timer is started as soon as it’s dropped, or the

timing won't be accurate.

5) Record the time it took for the object to hit on impact

6) Repeat steps 4-5 with the same object twice

7) Next with your string, tie the 4 corners of the largest “parachute” onto the medium sized

object.

8) Repeat steps 4-6 with all object sizes and weights until the data table is completely filled.