Year 5's Science topic this half term is Forces. Their first lesson last week, was focused on gravity. Children learnt that gravity is a pull force that works on all objects. They also investigated the differences between supported and unsupported objects.
On Monday, children took part in a practical investigation. They were learning all about air resistance. Air resistance is a force that pushes against objects as they move through the air. For example, when you ride your bike or throw a ball, the air pushes back against it and can slow it down. The faster something moves, the more air resistance it feels. Children were given the task to investigate factors that may impact the speed of which an object falls.
The factor they investigated today was surface area. Children dropped a scrunched up piece of paper and a flat piece of paper from the same height and timed how long it took them to fall to the floor.
Most groups found that if they dropped them from the same height, the crumpled-up piece of paper will usually hit the ground first.
This is because the flat piece of paper has a larger surface area, so it experiences more air resistance pushing up against it as it falls. The crumpled paper has less surface area, so it has less air resistance and can fall more quickly.
Children had lots of fun engaging in their Science lesson and seeing forces in action! Perhaps next time, they could test and compare air resistance on different materials too!
