Falling at the Same Rate

Lab Brief #7

🎯 Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

⚡ The twist

Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.

What you'll learn

Drop a heavy ball and a light one together and they land together, because gravity gives every object the same acceleration. Only air resistance changes this, which is why a feather is the exception rather than the rule.

Key words

acceleration
How quickly something speeds up as it falls.
air resistance
The push of air against something moving through it, which slows light, wide objects most.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

tennis ball
golf ball
paper
metre rule

⚠️ Safety first

Drop from shoulder height over a clear floor with feet well back.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "acceleration" and "air resistance" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Drop a tennis ball and a golf ball from the same height and record which lands first. Repeat with a flat sheet of paper, then the same sheet screwed into a ball, and explain the difference.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

A heavy ball and a light ball dropped together will:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

A flat sheet of paper falls more slowly than a crumpled one because of:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

All lessons

🎯

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”

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Falling at the Same Rate

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