Our Lady of Lourdes School
4th Grade Parachutes

 June 10, 2010

The fourth graders constructed parachutes using plastic bags, string, and gram weights. Then they went outside to observe the parachutes in motion. Students used a stopwatch to measure the time it took for their parachute to reach the ground. They also measured the time it took for a gram weight to drop without the parachute. Finally, the class discussed how air resistance affected the movement of the parachute, which influenced the speed of the weight as it dropped to the ground.