All fall down

Does the mass of an object affect how quickly it drops?

Think carefully about where to carry out this investigation.

Take care when dropping heavier objects: make sure no one is underneath!

Do not drop objects that might break.

PLAN

Drop various objects and time how long it takes them to reach the ground.

I WILL NEED

Various objects (e.g. cricket ball, pen, bag of sweets, etc.)

A watch with a second hand - although a stopwatch would be best.

Pencil and paper.

FAIR TEST

Where will you drop objects from?

PREDICTION

What do you think?

Will objects of greater mass drop more quickly ... or more slowly?

Explain why you think so.

PRACTICAL ACTIVITY

What objects did you choose to drop?

Why did you choose these?

Where did you drop them from?

Why did you choose this place?

What did you observe?

Can you explain this?

COLLECT

DATA

How can you make sure that your timing is accurate?

How will you measure the mass of each object?

ANALYSE

DATA

Draw up a table of your results.

Can you spot a pattern?

What do you notice?

Can you explain this?

PRESENT

FINDINGS

Explain what you did.

What did you discover?

Would a simple demonstration help to make a point?

EVALUATE

INVESTIGATION

How could you have improved this investigation?

Could you have carried it out slightly differently?

If you have carried out this investigation, click the icon to send in your results to Brainboxx and we may publish your work on the website.  It is best to e-mail the results of your investigation or you may need to send them by post.  Make sure you get permission from a teacher, parent or other adult before you get in touch.

Gravity

Experiment