Parachute Drop

Project Overview: Design and test DIY parachutes made from everyday materials you can find around your home. This project will help you explore how shape, surface area, weight, and material affect the rate at which objects fall through the air, exploring basic principles of physics.

Materials: 

• Parachute materials:

  • Plastic bags

  • Tissue paper

  • Fabric scraps – (ex: old t-shirt cut into a square)

  • Newspaper

• Scissors

• String or yarn

• Tape

• Hole puncher (for paper and fabric)

• Weights to attach to the parachute – metal washer, coins, marbles, etc. (make sure you use the same weight for EVERY parachute)

• Measuring tape or ruler

• Stopwatch

Instructions: 

1. Cut a square (about 25cm x 25cm / 10in x 10in) from your first choice of parachute material. Cut 4 pieces of string (25cm / 10in). Attach the strings using the method that works best for your material: 

   1. Newspaper or Fabric scraps: use a hole puncher to punch a hole in each of the four corners. Loop a piece of string through each hole and tie a knot to secure it in place. 

   2. Plastic bags: tape a piece of string firmly to each of the four corners. Fold a small piece of tape over the string. 

   3. Tissue paper: VERY GENTLY tape a piece of string to each corner. 

2. Gather the strings together at the bottom and tie them in a knot around your choice of weights. 

3. Repeat the above steps with your other parachute materials. 

4. Drop each parachute from the same height. You can try standing on a stool or standing on the staircase and dropping them from the railing. 

5. Use a timer and record how long it takes for the parachute to fall to the ground. (Which was the slowest? Which was the fastest?)