Science: conducting a fair test

Friday 02 October 2026

In science, we’ve been conducting a fair test to examine whether the surface area of a parachute affects the time taken for it to fall. We gathered all the equipment we needed and thought about the different variables. An independent variable is the thing we will change during the experiment. In this case the surface area of the parachute. The dependent variable is what we will measure – the time it takes to fall to the ground. The control is everything we will keep the same. Can your child remember what we had to keep the same?

We took six separate measurements so that the test was as reliable and accurate as it could be. Next week, we evaluate our results and come to a conclusion.

Help at home by asking what their prediction for the experiment was? Why do they think that?

Moortown Primary School, Leeds

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