Question

STEP 1: Get 2 sheets of 8½ by 11 paper and 2 sheets of aluminum foil. You will need to cut the aluminum foil so that both sheets are 8½ by 11.

STEP 2: Ball up one of the sheets of paper and one of the sheets of aluminum foil.

STEP 3: Take the remaining sheet of paper and fold it in half twice so that instead of being 8½ by 11 it is 4¼ by 5½ (roughly, it doesnt have to be exact). Then do the same with the remaining sheet of aluminum foil. In the end, the folded sheet of paper and the folded sheet of aluminum foil should be roughly the same size.

STEP 4 You now have four objects (2 balled & 2 folded). You will now conduct races between the objects in the following manner. Take two of the objects, hold them at the same height (at least shoulder level) and drop them simultaneously. Observe which one strikes the ground first. It should be obvious which one strikes the ground first. If it is not then the race is a tie. You should conduct each race multiple times to verify your results. Part A Perform the following races and then enter the winner of the race in the space provided. For example, in the first race, if the balled paper wins, then type 1. If the folded paper wins, then type 2. If it is a tie, then type 3. Your answers to Part B will be based on the results of your races.

1. Race 1 (1) balled paper vs. (2) folded paper

Race 2 (1) balled paper vs. (2) folded aluminum foil

Race 3 (1) balled aluminum foil vs. (2) folded paper

Race 4 (1) balled aluminum foil vs. (2) folded aluminum foil

Race 5 (1) folded paper vs. (2) folded aluminum foil

6. Race 6 (1) balled paper vs. (2) balled aluminum foil

Part B Based on the results of your races from Part A, answer the following questions.

7. Identify the trend for the first 4 races.

The balled object always won.

The paper object always beat the foiled object.

The folded object always won.

The foiled object always beat the paper object. It was always a tie.

8. Which one of the following statements best explains the trend you observed in the first 4 races?

The two objects had no significant differences between them.

Gravity pulled harder on the winning object than it did on the other object.

The winning object had a significantly smaller surface area than the other object.

The winning object was significantly heavier than the other object.

Although one object was significantly heavier, the other object had a significantly smaller surface area. These two differences canceled each other out.

9. Which one of the following statements best explains the results of Race 5?

Since they both had roughly the same weight, surface area, & shape, the race was a tie.

Since they both had roughly the same surface area & shape, most likely the winning object had significantly more weight and thus had a higher terminal velocity.

The material the winning object is made from cuts through the air significantly better than the material the other object is made from.

The race was a tie because in the absence of air drag all objects will fall with the same acceleration.

It is impossible to explain the results.

10. Which one of the following statements best explains the results of Race 6?

Since they both had roughly the same weight, surface area, & shape, the race was a tie.

Since they both had roughly the same surface area & shape, most likely the winning object had significantly more weight and thus had a higher terminal velocity.

The material the winning object is made from cuts through the air significantly better than the material the other object is made from.

The race was a tie because in the absence of air drag all objects will fall with the same acceleration.

It is impossible to explain the results.

Answer 1

Part A :

1. Race 1 (1) balled paper vs. (2) folded paper - winner is Balled paper i.e 1

2.Race 2 (1) balled paper vs. (2) folded aluminum foil - winner is Balled paper i.e 1

3.Race 3 (1) balled aluminum foil vs. (2) folded paper - winner is (1) balled aluminum foil

4.Race 4 (1) balled aluminum foil vs. (2) folded aluminum foil - winner is (1) balled aluminum foil

5.Race 5 (1) folded paper vs. (2) folded aluminum foil - winner is (2) folded aluminum foil

6. Race 6 (1) balled paper vs. (2) balled aluminum foil - Tie (3)

Part B :

7. The balled object always won.

8.The winning object had a significantly smaller surface area than the other object.

9.Since they both had roughly the same surface area & shape, most likely the winning object had significantly more weight and thus had a higher terminal velocity.

10.The race was a tie because in the absence of air drag all objects will fall with the same acceleration.

Note : Formula for Terminal velocity of an object under Air Resistance is directly proportional square root of its mass.