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Hands-on Activity

Hang Time

Fun Forces
Summary
In this activity teams design, build, and test paper helicopters to observe a relationship between blade surface area and descent rate.
Overview
Topic: Friction
Real World Science Topics:
  • An exploration of the relationship between surface area and friction
  • An exploration of the forces and motion associated with an object in free fall
Objective
Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between surface area and descent rate for a helicopter. They also develop an understanding of the forces that affect the motion of a falling object.

Activity Difficulty Rating: 2 Each hands-on science activity has been ranked based on difficulty of set up and how difficult they are to perform. The rating scale is from 1 to 5, with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the most complicated.