Education Technology


Falling Down

Activity Overview

Students drop an object and determine the average speed the object reaches.

Key Steps

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    In this activity, students will compare the speeds of falling objects that have the same shape but different weights. With a CBR 2, students will drop one coffee filter and record the distance it travels over three seconds, then repeat the experiment with 5, non-separated coffee filters.

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    The calculator will graph the data as distance versus time, which students will sketch on their worksheet. From these two graphs, students will be asked to answer questions about the graphs of the falling filters. They will interpret the significance of the flat and steep parts of the graphs, then calculate the average speed of 1 falling filter versus 5 falling filters.