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Mission NL11 Air Resistance

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The Question

When under the influence of air resistance, ...

Don't be Fooled

You may have learned that all objects free fall at the same rate of acceleration, regardless of their mass. But don't be fooled! While this is certainly a true statement, it has little to do with this question. Free fall is the state of an object in which the only forces of influence are gravity. Free fall assumes negligible air resistance. This question pertains to situations in which air resistance is a factor. As such, this is not a free fall question.

Hands On Time

Try it. Try it? Yes - do an experiment. Go to the kitchen and find some coffee filters or napkins. (You might ask your parents' permission first.) Drop one coffee filter and a pack of 10 identical coffee filters from the same height at the same time and in the same manner. Coffee filters fall with significant air resistance. Which falls faster - the single filter or the more massive 10-pack of filters? If coffee filters are not available, try the mini-experiment with a single napkin vs. a 10-pack of napkins. Or if napkins are not available, drop a single section from Friday's local newspaper and the entire Sunday section of the local newspaper.
 
Of course, like any good science investigation, you will have to take caution to control variables. The shape or profileof the filters (or napkins or newspaper) as they fall through the air will have to be identical.

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