For the past three science lessons, Year 5 have been planning, undertaking and evaluating a science experiment all about air resistance. Our enquiry type was ‘Comparative and Fair Tests’. The question we were answering was: ‘Will the surface area of a parachute affect the time it takes to fall to the ground?’ The children decided on their variables, made a prediction and then were able to create the parachutes they needed.
Once they were created, the children then went out to test their parachutes and conduct the experiment.
Once we had the results, we were able to look for any anomalous results (a result that does not fit the pattern; in Maths, this is called an outlier). We also looked at the mathematical element of this science lesson as Year 5 could then calculate the average times for the tests.
To present their findings, they created bar charts using the calculated average times. These charts helped to show how the surface area clearly impacted the fall time.
Finally, the children were able to conclude their results. They found out that the bigger parachute had a larger surface area and therefore, there was more air resistance so it was the slowest.
