How can air resistance change the acceleration of a falling object?
A science activity which compares the acceleration of a book and a piece of paper.

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Description:  Groups of students were given an old book, a piece of white paper, and a pair of  
             scissors.  They skillfully cut the paper to be the same length and width of the book. 
             First, they dropped the paper and the book at the same time, same height, and same
             direction.  They recorded their observations in a data table.  Each group attempted to try
             numerous methods of changing the shape of the paper, so the paper will hit the floor at
             the same time as the book.

	We're having fun!
	*  Most paper airplanes * Crumbling the paper into a ball * Folding paper into a small square   Even though objects free fall at the same acceleration rate, air resistance does influence the accelerations of different objects by their shape, speed, density, and size.

Stroma's Science

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Revised: 12 Sep 2011 15:20:14 -0500 .