ScienceGrade 3

What Is Air Resistance? Parachute Challenge

Gravity pulls every falling object down at the same rate, no matter how heavy it is.

Learning Objective

Students will explain that air resistance (drag) is a force that pushes back against a falling object, that more surface area means more air resistance, and that this is why a parachute makes a falling object slow down dramatically (TEKS 3.6C).

What You'll Learn

Air resistance (drag) is an invisible force that pushes UP against anything falling
More surface area facing the air = more air resistance = a slower fall.
A parachute works by hugely increasing surface area, so air resistance can nearly
Without any air at all, a feather and a hammer actually fall at the exact same

Words to Know

Gravity: The invisible pull that yanks everything down toward the ground.; Gravity is why a dropped ball falls instead of floating away.
Air resistance: An invisible force that pushes back against anything falling through air.; Air resistance is why a flat sheet of paper drifts down slower than a crumpled ball.
Drag: Another name scientists use for air resistance.; A parachute creates a lot of drag to slow a fall.
Surface area: How much space the outside of an object takes up facing the air.; A flat sheet of paper has more surface area than the same paper balled up.