Helicopter Lab Student Name: Ali Al-Thani Partner name: Research Question: how does the wingspan of the helicopter effect the speed in which it falls to the ground? Variables: Independent: The Wingspan Dependent: the speed of the helicopter Controlled: Same Height, same person dropping, same paper. Hypothesis: I predict that the larger the wingspan of the helicopter the slower the speed. Gravity will basically pull the helicopter down; the air resistance will be pushing the helicopter to the opposite side of the pulling force of gravity. The larger the wings the greater the air resistance of the helicopter as larger wings trap more and thus there will be a stronger resistance. By having a smaller wingspan less air will be caught under the helicopter and that will therefore Time (S) Mean enable the helicopter to Wingspan Length time (s) fall down faster thus Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 (cm) increasing the speed. 7 1.12 0.97 0.94 1.10 1.03 5.5 1.19 0.78 0.84 0.84 0.91 Apparatus: 4 0.61 0.90 0.80 0.72 0.77 - 1 stopwatch 2.5 0.62 0.56 0.83 0.66 0.67 - 1 meter ruler - 1 paper helicopter Speed (m/s) 1.46 1.65 1.95 2.23 Method 1. First you must begin by setting a standard height from which all the trials will be dropped from this can be a height of 1.5 + meters. 2. Begin by measuring the wingspan of the helicopter and write of a specific measurement that you will be cutting off the wingspan to measure the speed of different wingspan. ( the measurement must be a constant) Conclusion: Basically it is evident from both the graph and the table that as the wingspan got smaller the speed of the helicopter increased. This proves that my hypothesis was correct as in my hypothesis it was clear the as the wingspan size decreased the speed in which the helicopter would ascend to the ground would increase, thus this proves that my hypothesis was correct. The data that I have helps get me to the right conclusion and for several reasons, the first being the fact that the helicopters were timed several times at their different stages to ensure a reliable method and suitable results. Also my data helps bring me to the right conclusion as there is a constant increase in speed which is clearly visual from the graph where as if the graph had completely random points then it won’t be as reliable. The results that I have show a good pattern as the basic line from the graph shows an increase in speed where there was a decrease in the size of the wingspan. Evaluation: By using several different trials each with the same helicopter and using a “fair test” method it is clear that the method is reliable. Throughout all data presentations via the graph or the table it is clear that there is a pattern and a constant increase or decrease and no random numbers thus improving the reliability of my method. The method I have used could be improved, improving the method will lead to more accurate and helpful results. By having the same person collect the data from each helicopter it is safer to say that the method will be improved as the fastest reaction for someone’s own movement is their own and that is needed in this experiment as the time is an essential factor. Another experiment that could be used is an experiment with a larger helicopter as that will enable better results as the larger helicopter will help prove a better example