As part of their study of physical science, 8th grade students learn about the many forces (mostly invisible) that affect their lives. Most well known is the force of gravity, which accelerates a falling object at nearly 10 meters per second toward the earth’s surface causing the object to go faster and faster. Air resistance, the collision of air particles pushing upward against the falling object, reduces the acceleration of gravity until the object eventually reaches a maximum or terminal velocity.
In one of their experiments, students tried to maximize air resistance by constructing a parachute out of a plastic bag and string, with 2 metal washers representing the payload. The most successful chutes were able to slow the descent to about 1 meter per second, just over 2 mph, a safe land speed for a parachutist!
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