The+Floating+Bears+Project

__**The Floating Bears**__ An Inquiry into Air Resistance



We recieved our mission and planned out the experiement. Our first question is;

**Does the size of a parachute effect the speed that the item will fall?** We made a list of the variables, and then tried to control them. After that, we made a table to help gather our data.

Here it is:



Finally, we got to make the parachutes.



And then, after all that planning, we dropped the bears and timed them! Check out the video: []

After that, we analyzed what we saw. First, we wrote about how the forces affected the parachute. **Gravity is pulling the bear down, which makes the air go inside the parachute, which makes it balance in the air. The material of the plastic bag is good because it can catch the air.**

Then, we made a graph with our data.

** What makes a better parachute, plastic bags or fabric? ** First up, we choose our side by writing our names on a T-Chart on the whiteboard. The class was pretty evenly divided, with 40% saying fabric, and 60% saying plastic bags.

Next, we go to work building our parachutes out of fabric, using the same variables that we used in the last experiment.



Finally, we tested by dropping them off the same point as last time. Here are some youtube links:

[] [] []


 * Our Conclusions and Data**

Here is the graph. The results are easy. Plastic bag is the winner!